Cyclone Raquel public to maintain safe hygiene practices, including hand washing and boiling water before drinking it. As a result of the torrential rain, flash flooding was reported on several of the islands, which resulted in widespread damage in Malaita, Western, Choiseul and Isabel provinces. In particular thousands of food gardens were extensively damaged or destroyed, including 40 thousand in Malaita Province alone. One person was killed after being hit by a falling tree while 16 others were missing at sea. The Gold Ridge Mine on the island of Guadalcanal was declared a disaster zone by the Solomon Islands Government during July
Bartholomew Ulufa'alu the last of which he only won in a tied vote. The second-half of the Ulufa'alu government was overwhelmed by the internal conflict commonly known as the 'Ethnic Tensions'. By late 1998, militants on the island of Guadalcanal commenced a campaign of intimidation and violence towards Malaitan settlers. During the next year, thousands of Malaitans fled back to Malaita or to the capital Honiara (which, although situated on Guadalcanal, is predominantly populated by Malaitans and Solomon Islanders from other provinces). In 1999, the Malaita Eagle Force (MEF) was established in response. The Ulufa'alu government struggled to respond to the complexities