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New Zealand Defence Force staff load supplies for tsunami-ravaged Samoa - Source: New Zealand Defence Force -
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New Zealand has upped its relief aid as Samoa tries to recover after the devastating tsunami.
The government has given a further $1 million to help rebuild after the disaster which has killed many.
Samoan police say the death toll stands at 135 with 310 injured. The dead include 117 Samoan nationals and the search continues for eight people believed to be missing.
In Lepa, tsunami refugees have set up temporary homes while searchers are in a last ditch rescue effort.
The villagers don't want anyone left behind, but finding the missing now will be tough.
One survivor says the process is very painful.
"I can feel in my heart, they may call us for help but we can't hear them," says survivor Mapu Faaifo Lopau.
The New Zealand dog team have been scouring the area but conditions are tough and the terrain is littered with potential hazards. The temperature is also blistering and the dogs are feeling it.
Hills become home
Many people from the area have headed for the hills and fear is keeping them there.
One local says the tsunami has roused a fear of the sea among many.
"We don't have to look at the sea. We are so scared and we know the mountain is safe for us," says Laina Fagae.
Fagae is living in a small tent with eight others. There are hundreds of people living in shanty villages in the hills with no toilets, no running water and many are still battered.
Fears of disease
Rainy season is a month away which means things will only get worse.
Warrant Officer Steve Hunn from the Air Force Environmental Health says disease is a big concern.
"We may have problems with flooding in the lower regions here but there are also mosquitoes around here that carry dengue fever and other diseases."
The New Zealand Defence Force is mapping clusters of survivors nestled in the bush and making sure they get what they need to stay healthy. But there have already been cases of diarrhoea.
"It is very basic, most the days they get delivered some bottled water or water containers but it is very much subsistence living," says Hunn.
Many of the children are barefoot and cuts from debris can get infected fast. Something as simple as shoes could save lives.
Wood from fales ripped apart in the waves will make new homes and linesmen are still working to restore power to the coastal wasteland.
In the searches any bodies found that could be tourists are taken to a two-man New Zealand forensic team.
It's a sobering job, and sadly the workload grows.
Samoa has been brought to its knees by nature but all the people involved in the rescue are desperately trying to pull her to her feet.
The Samoan government plans to hold a national funeral service for the victims and burial on Thursday. This has been put back from Tuesday to accommodate requests from families overseas who wanted time to travel to Samoa.
