Skip to main content

Cyclone Pam: Vanuatu emergency relief



Cyclone Pam hit the island archipelago of Vanuatu in the South Pacific on the evening of Friday, March 13, and into the morning of March 14, 2015. It is the worst reported cyclone in living history. Vanuatu is about 1,700 kilometres east of Australia. Other islands, such as the Solomon Islands and Kiribati, were also affected by strong winds.

To date there are 11 confirmed deaths. The deaths were believed to be people on yachts in Port Vila harbour. 

Cyclonic winds were reported at 200-250 kilometres per hour—a category 5 (the highest level) storm. Accompanying the winds were wave swells up to 12 metres high. Although the Vanuatu Meteorological Service and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology had been tracking the cyclone, giving time for people to prepare for the land strike, the severity of the winds was unexpected. Also, the winds blasted the island from two directions—the east and the south. Residents had time to board up their windows and lock down moving parts, but the winds were savage.

The power across the island ceased around nine in the evening, leaving people without radio, television, and the Internet. The island is still without power and communications. In the aftermath, the police declared a state of emergency and a curfew as people set out to find food, water, and petrol.

Commercial flights were immediately affected, making it difficult for people to leave the disaster zone, and also making it difficult for relief aid to enter the region. However, flights are expected to resume relatively quickly after the winds have subsided, and departures are likely to be prioritized on the basis of need (such as for infants, pregnant women, the elderly, and the sick).

Before the cyclone, many aid agencies and non-government organizations (NGOs) were already present. Many have supported the people of the island for years and are well entrenched in the region. These aid agencies are reporting thousands of people seeking refuge in emergency shelters in the capital Port Vila. Currently they are assessing the situation in the outlying and remote islands. To date, about 90% of houses have been damaged, making them unliveable.

Pilots have commenced flying over the islands of Erromango and Tanna, where they reported communities to be “flattened.” This was due to the eye of the cyclone moving directly over Tanna. About 34,000 live on Tanna with a total of about 270,000 people across the entire islands of Vanuatu.

Australian and New Zealand air force planes have already commenced bringing in essential items, such as food, shelter, medicine, tarpaulins, water containers, chainsaws, and generators.

The first thing aid agencies will do is to assess the situation, review the water and sanitation, and determine the need for accommodation and relief supplies. These supplies would be hygiene kits, clean water, and shelter. They will also commence seeking online donations of money.

What is the best way to help Vanuatu residents? First, the country is almost completely devastated and the death toll may increase when a full assessment has been made. The island archipelago consists of 82 small islands, 65 of which are inhabited, spread over an area of 1,300 kilometres from north to south. However, the total population of 270,000 is relatively small and can be targeted. The governments of Vanuatu and its neighbours have excellent relations and aid is already forthcoming.

The critical period, however, is now – certainly up to the next few weeks. Hence, the best way for individuals and corporations to assist Vanuatu is through the many and varied existing resident aid agencies already in Vanuatu—with donations of money that can be made through online calls for emergency assistance, or through designated legitimate campaigns.

The residents of Vanuatu are resilient as they have had many earthquakes and natural disasters, but Cyclone Pam has affected the entire region with such devastating consequences. Reaching out to the people of Vanuatu can go a long way to achieving maximum emergency relief and support.



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh  (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. ...
1 comment
Read more

Flaws in the Glass, a self-portrait by Patrick White: book review

The manuscript, Flaws in the Glass (1981), is Patrick Victor Martindale White’s autobiography. White, born in 1912 in England, migrated to Sydney, Australia, when he was six months old. For three years, at the age of 20, he studied French and German literature at King’s College at the University of Cambridge in England. Throughout his life, he published 12 novels. In 1957 he won the inaugural Miles Franklin Literary Award for Voss, published in 1956. In 1961, Riders in the Chariot became a best-seller, winning the Miles Franklin Literary Award. In 1973, he was the first Australian author to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for The Eye of the Storm, despite many critics describing his works as ‘un-Australian’ and himself as ‘Australia’s most unreadable novelist.’ In 1979, The Twyborn Affair was short-listed for the Booker Prize, but he withdrew it from the competition to give younger writers the opportunity to win the award. His autobiography, Flaws in the Glass...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sister cities discussed: Canberra and Islamabad

Two months ago, in March 2015, Australia and Pakistan agreed to explore ways to deepen ties. The relationship between Australia and Pakistan has been strong for decades, and the two countries continue to keep dialogues open. The annual bilateral discussions were held in Australia in March to continue engagements on a wide range of matters of mutual interest. The Pakistan delegation discussed points of interest will include sports, agriculture, economic growth, trade, border protection, business, and education. The possible twinning of the cities of Canberra, the capital of Australia, and Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, were also on the agenda (i.e. called twin towns or sister cities). Sister City relationships are twinning arrangements that build friendships as well as government, business, culture, and community linkages. Canberra currently has international Sister City relationships with Beijing in China and Nara in Japan. One example of existing...
1 comment
Read more