Manuia Tiai counts the dead outside the house of Pastor Letone Uili. Photo / Greg Bowker
As Manuia Tiai mourns the loss of her home, one of her best friends and seven other people from the small Samoan village of Poutasi she still manages to smile at the passing media, tourists and relief workers.
The 49-year-old is cleaning the home of the local pastor, Letone Uili,
who is bringing the body of his wife Logo Letone, 40, back from the hospital, so the family can hold a funeral and bury her body near the ruins of their home.
Mrs Letone was sleeping while her husband took her five children to school when the tsunami hit, sweeping her almost 200m from her home.
A further seven people - three women and four children - from the local school, Poutasi Secondary School, were killed.
They have either been buried already or their bodies are lying outside the homes of family members who live along the main road, not the dirt road where most of the destruction hit.
Other villagers have rallied with food and supplies for the grieving families.
Mrs Tiai said her friend Mrs Letone sewed clothes for many of the village children."I miss her so much."
Mrs Tiai said although she was grieving for her friend, her Christian faith had helped her stay strong.
MEMORIAL SERVICES FOR THE VICTIMS
Sunday October 4
* Malaeola Community Centre, 16 Waokauri Pl, Mangere, South Auckland, at 11am.
* Lotofalei'a Tongan Methodist Church, 34 Orly Ave, Mangere, South Auckland, at 7pm.
* Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa, 7 Lincoln Rd, Henderson, West Auckland, at 7pm.
* Samoan Community Incorporated Welfare Hall, 8 Giles St, Tokoroa, at 4pm.
Monday October 5
* University of Auckland Maclaurin Chapel, 18 Princes St, Auckland City, at 12.30pm.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Pacific Cooperation Foundation
Deposits can be made at at any Westpac branch. All the money raised will go to the Samoan Government
Red Cross
- Make a secure online donation at redcross.org.nz
- Send cheques to the Samoan Red Cross Fund, PO Box 12140, Thorndon, Wellington 6144
- Call 0900 31 100 to make an automatic $20 donation
- Make a donation at any NZ Red Cross office
ANZ bank
Make a donation at any ANZ bank branch, or donate directly to the ANZ appeal account: 01 1839 0143546 00
Oxfam
- Make a secure online donation at
Oxfam.org.nz
- Phone 0800 400 666 or make an automatic $20 donation by calling 0900 600 20
