Vanuatu needs our help now
As days go by the devastatation caused to Vanuatu by last weekend’s Tropical Cyclone Pam becomes clearer. Once again we are reminded of the fragility of human life and endeavours in the face of natural disaster.
Cantabrians more than most can empathise with people whose homes and lives have now been wrecked, and who have little or no hope of recovery in the short term. In Port Vila, 90 per cent of homes have been destroyed or damaged. The situation on the outlying islands of the Pacific archipelago remains unclear. The official death toll, which stood at 11 yesterday, is expected to rise. Unicef estimates that half the population of the country has been affected – this equates to 132,000 people, including about 54,000 children. Right now, thousands of people left homeless are sheltering in schools, churches and the few other buildings still standing.
Vanuatu is a near neighbour. The distance from Christchurch to Port Vila is about the same as from here to Fiji, and it is closer than some places on the Australian eastern seaboard. We are close enough, certainly, for the North Island to have felt the tail end of Pam as it moved south-eastwards early this week. In times of trouble, neighbours help each other out.
The immediate needs are dire and pressing. There have been reports some people in outlying areas have resorted to drinking seawater, as supplies of fresh water have been destroyed. Scuffles have broken out over food distribution, prompting the Vanuatuan government to take control of this. As always after a natural disaster, the threat of disease is close at hand. The immediate needs are for clean water, food, vaccines (including for measles), shelter and telecommunications.
New Zealand and Australia, and the former colonial rulers of what used to be the New Hebrides, Britain and France, have all responded to appeals for aid. The first RNZAF Hercules flight carried first-aid kits, tarpaulins, water containers, chainsaw packs and generators to the islands, and returned with New Zealanders who needed to get out. Australian aid flights are also under way. An Australian naval vessel is making its way to the stricken country and HMNZS Canterbury is being readied to sail. Confusion among the nongovernmental aid agencies converging on Port Vila is being sorted out.
Not only buildings have been destroyed. The ability of the country’s population to support and feed themselves has been damaged also. Fruit has been stripped from the trees, crops from the ground, and fishing fleets devastated. It is clear the country is going to need support and assistance for some time.
The main aid agencies, including in New Zealand the Red Cross, Unicef and Oxfam, have launched appeals for Vanuatu but, so far, they appear to have been under-subscribed. It takes a while for pledges to be collated, of course, but as of Wednesday afternoon, the Red Cross, which is aiming to raise $5.3 million, had received $280,000. New Zealanders are a generous people, and it is time to dig deeply.