Volcano forcing permanent evacuation of island

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — The Pacific nation of Vanuatu is preparing to permanently evacuate the entire population of one of its islands as thick ash spewing from a volcano kills crops, dirties water supplies and fouls the air.

The 10,000 or so people who remain on Ambae island have mixed feelings about the plans. Some who are badly affected by the ash are eager to leave while others are resisting losing their land and culture.

The island was temporarily evacuated last September when the eruption cycle began. This time, authorities are planning a permanent move.

Government spokesman Hilaire Bule said on Thursday that he expects the Council of Ministers to approve a relocation plan by next week. Bule said the islanders would be offered residence on two neighboring islands. “It’s not an easy decision,” Bule said.

He said there were many details to work through, including providing schools and facilities to the displaced residents and negotiating land and new homes for them.

Many people have close family and spiritual ties to the islands where they’ll be relocated, Maewo and Pentecost, Bule said. Traditional religion even has it that the islands are part of a family — Pentecost being the mother, Maewo the father and Ambae the son.

Most people on Ambae live a subsistence lifestyle by farming and fishing. Already hundreds of people have moved to temporary shelters on parts of the island that are not so affected by the ash.

Ambae is about 154 square miles and is one of about 65 inhabited islands in Vanuatu, home to 280,000 people.

Vanuatu sits on the Pacific’s “Ring of Fire,” the arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where earthquakes and volcanoes are common.

Brad Scott, a New Zealand volcanologist with GNS Science who has been seconded to help Vanuatu authorities, said more than one-quarter of Ambae has been severely impacted, with many traditional thatch roofs collapsing under the weight of the thick ash.

Other countries including France, New Zealand and Australia provided aid and financial help for the earlier evacuation.

Despite the problems, Scott said, many people want to stay.

Asked if there was a chance that the residents might be able to one day move back to the island, Bule, the government spokesman, said that was not a question for him.

“We don’t know,” he said. “You’ll have to ask the volcano.”