11 confirmed dead

It is now clear that it will be days yet before the full impact of deadly Category 5 Super Tropical Cyclone Pam that hit Vanuatu last week becomes clear.

This is because most of the affected areas throughout the country continue to experience communication blackout.

The vice chairman of the national disaster committee representing the Office of the Prime Minister and the national government assisting the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO), Benjamin Shing, admits that connectivity has been one of the setbacks to relief efforts being undertaken by the NDMO and donor partners and international aid agencies.

The second is actually getting the relief assistance now in Port Vila to the people in need of help in the areas affected.

Shing told a news conference that one of the national telecommunications providers, Digicel, has been restoring services to some of the affected islands, especially the islands of Erromango and Tanna in southern Tafea Province most seriously hit. The Director of NDMO, Shadrack Welegtabit has confirmed the other national telecommunications provider, Telecom Vanuatu Limited and the Government service have also both started restoration of services that have all been affected when communications towers at key sites throughout the country were either destroyed or blown down.

With the restoration of some communication, the NDMO has been able to confirm as 11, the number of deaths from the cyclone so far – five on Tanna and six from Port Vila on Efate Island in Shefa Province. Benjamin Shing said there were no casualties reported on Erromango.

Overseas media reports have quoted estimated number of death tolls from the cyclone at close to 50, some close to 100 and some even more than a hundred dead. The Daily Post has also received unconfirmed reports that 50 deaths have occurred in Penama Province – the islands of Pentcost, Ambae and Maewo, and Benjamin Shing said NDMO has also received such reports but until they can get people on the ground in the province to verify these reports they will remain just unconfirmed reports.

Super cyclone Pam was most talked about around the South Pacific region and anticipated days before the system began to form northeast of Vanuatu early last week. As it developed from a massive low pressure system into a massive cyclone there was fear among the people of Vanuatu that the massive system might actually hit the country. Early estimates anticipated the system would move in a southeasterly direction, which would put it mainly in the ocean area between Vanuatu and Fiji as it began trekking south. But as it moved slowly closer to northeast of the Banks Islands of Torba and Maewo in Penama Province midweek TC Pam changed direction again and moved in a southwesterly direction which meant it would put it over Maewo and Penama Province if it continued in that direction. But the system changed direction again to a southeasterly direction for a few hours before turning again, increasing to Category 4, gathering speed and heading straight down past Penama, and close to Ambrym and Paama in Malampa Province Thursday. On Friday morning it had increased more speed and moved to Category 5 as it bore past Epi in northern Shefa Province, down right over the tiny Shepherds Islands and when the late afternoon came the winds began to increase on Efate and Port Vila as the Category 5 system swept right over the island and the Vanuatu capital bringing damaging winds of over 320km, the strongest cyclone reported in the Pacific region. By 3am Saturday, the system had left Efate, increasing in speed further still and wind severity as it wrecked havock on Erromango and Tanna Islands, the two largest islands of Tafea Province. Luckily the smaller islands of Futuna, Aniwa and Aneityum were spared the worst of the disaster.

The region and the world followed the movement of the cyclone through the worldwide web and fearing the worst for the tiny islands of the archipelago that are top of the list of countries most-prone to natural disasters.

By late afternoon Saturday, three Hercules C130 planes from the Australian Air force and New Zealand Air Force flew over Port Vila bringing in the first relief assistance missions and conducting aerial surveillance of the effects of the devastation on the buildings and ecosystem of the country. A Hercules C130 plane from the New Caledonia has brought in relief assistance from the French Red Cross.

The Chinese Government has also donated relief aid to the NDMO and the Government of Vanuatu through the Chinese Embassy in Port Vila.

The Fiji Government, people and corporate houses have also airlifted relief aid to assist the people of Vanuatu.

The Director of NDMO, Welegtabit says the immediate relief have consisted of tarpaulins, hygiene kits, shelter kits, purification tablets, and water. He said all these supplies are being stored at the Cook Barracks of the Vanuatu Mobile Force camp and the IPV at Coffee in Port Vila and some in containers at the NDMO headquarters at Nambatu in Port Vila.

Because the huge C130 planes can only land in Port Vila, Whitegrass on Tanna and Pekoa in Luganville, Santo, Benjamin Shing said the Government of Vanuatu and NDMO would now rely on the donor partners of Australia, New Zealand, and France to assist with delivering of this relief aid to those in the outlying islands affected needing help with the use of helicopters or frigates and patrol boats.

He told a news conference that the Government was awaiting indication from three donor countries and Solomon Islands for use of their patrol boats – and it is hoped that the Solomon Islands patrol boat would assist those in Penama Province, a French navy frigate and patrol boat to service Tafea province, and Australia and New Zealand to assist the other two affected provinces – Shefa and Malampa.

Welegtabit confirmed offers from the countries mentioned but he said Vanuatu is not waiting for their confirmation, but has begun logistics for movements of the relief items to the people affected.

Shing said teams have been dispatched to Tanna and Erromango to provide assessment reports after which the relief assistance would be sent and distributed according to the reports of the teams and the provincial disaster coordinating committees of the provinces. He said assessment teams have been dispatched to the Shepherds, and to areas north of Shefa.