Cyclone Pam: Vanuatu death toll rises as Australia pledges $5m in aid – as it happened
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Version 0 of 1. 9.27pm AEST10:27 Summary It is now night time in Vanuatu and information from the capital Port Vila and beyond is scarce. We are closing the liveblog down but here is the Guardian’s latest report on the devastating effects of cyclone Pam. Here is what we know so far: Updated at 11.56pm AEST 9.21pm AEST10:21 Up to 75,000 children in Vanuatu could be in desperate need of food, water and shelter, Save the Children has said. Tom Skirrow from Save the Children in Vanuatu said: This disaster has left tens of thousands of children vulnerable and we are particularly concerned for their welfare and safety in the aftermath of cyclone Pam. Children are going to be very afraid, they are going to be hungry and some of them may even have become separated from their families. Updated at 11.56pm AEST 8.34pm AEST09:34 Approximately 103,000 people affected in Vanuatu An estimated 103,000 people in Vanuatu have been affected by cyclone Pam, with thousands more blighted in nine countries across the Pacific, according to figures from the New Zealand Red Cross. The aid agency says it has not yet been possible to make contact with the outer islands because power and phone lines are down. It describes the disaster as the strongest storm to make landfall since Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines in November 2013, killing at least 6,300 people in that country alone. Aurelia Balpe, head of delegation for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in the Pacific, says: Tens of thousands of people are still in the middle of a terrifying ordeal and we need to urgently assess the humanitarian needs and start meeting them as soon as possible. Updated at 11.56pm AEST 8.25pm AEST09:25 David Cameron has pledged UK aid support to his Australian counterpart, Tony Abbott: PM: I've just spoken to @TonyAbbottMHR to discuss ongoing aid efforts in #Vanuatu and to offer UK support following the devastating cyclone. 8.05pm AEST09:05 Summary As night falls in Vanuatu, here is what we know so far about the effects of cyclone Pam and the humanitarian response: Information from Vanuatu beyond the capital Port Vila, and from other islands in the path of cyclone Pam, remains sketchy to non-existent. Here is what we know so far: It’s becoming increasingly clear that we are now dealing with worse than the worst case scenario in Vanuatu. This is likely to be one of the worst disasters ever seen in the Pacific. You can read the latest Guardian report on the situation here. Updated at 11.56pm AEST 7.38pm AEST08:38 World Vision International, which has 80 staff in Vanuatu, has posted this detailed update on its work across the devastated island chain. It says it has been able to contact only 13 of its 80 staff members so far since cyclone Pam hit: Contact between Port Vila and other islands has not been possible yet. Penama Province was directly in the path of the storm, and the cyclone stayed over Tafea Province for approximately four hours on Friday so the organization is extremely concerned about staff and communities in those areas. Houses in Vanuatu were particularly vulnerable to the storm, World Vision explains: Most families on Vanuatu live in simple, thatched-roof homes that are very vulnerable to severe weather. Even for those who safely evacuated to storm shelters, they will likely return to homes that are damaged or destroyed, and crops that are washed away. Cyclone Pam was one of the worst storms the island has ever seen. World Vision’s team spent Saturday driving throughout the communities in Port Vila, assessing the situation in the capital city but communications and logistics remain difficult. Additional information is expected to continue to come in as the team is able to reach more remote parts of the country. World Vision pre-positioned relief goods in Port Vila, Santo Island, and Tanna Island. Items include tarps, tools for repairs, water containers, mosquito nets, hygiene kits, baby kits, and kitchen sets. Early warnings throughout the week urged communities to evacuate to local storm shelters. 7.20pm AEST08:20 Latest round-up My colleague Joshua Robertson has filed this latest report on developments today as night falls in Vanuatu: More deaths and dire water shortages loom as part of the unfolding crisis in Vanuatu, with the first account emerging of the plight of the South Pacific archipelago’s remote communities in the wake of cyclone Pam. A pilot who flew to Tanna — an island of 30,000 people south of the capital Port Vila — on Sunday has told of more deaths, no drinking water and complete destruction of infrastructure and permanent shelters. It was the first news from outside Port Vila, where eight people have been confirmed dead, thousands left homeless and most civil infrastructure damaged in the aftermath of the category five cyclone on Friday and Saturday. Tanna and the less populated Erromango island had been the focus of concerns from the Vanuatu government and aid agencies, who have no means of communication with anywhere outside the capital after the worst natural disaster in the country’s history. Aurelia Balpe, head of the Red Cross’s Pacific operations, said the agency had been briefed by the pilot, who said in Tanna he found “people were waiting to be heard, to talk to someone”. “What he saw when they landed and took off again was all of the corrugated iron structures were pretty much destroyed, the concrete structures had no roofs left, all the trees had been ripped out,” Balpe said. “People were saying no drinking water. He also reported two deaths but that’s not confirmed by government.” A flight over Erromango revealed “a similar state of affairs” to that witnessed in Tanna, Balpe said. Authorities in Port Vila, still unable to assess the true scale of the destruction, were waiting on aerial surveys from an Australian military plane and the restoration of some remote telecommunications towers on other islands. The Vanuatu lands minister, Ralph Regenvanu, said the government regarded the “entire population” of about 266,000 people as having been affected by the huge storm that ripped through on Friday night and into Saturday. “This is the worst disaster to affect Vanuatu ever as far as we know. We’re going to need a lot of assistance,” he said. The Australian and New Zealand governments have announced emergency aid packages totalling $6.5m. An Australian department of defence spokeswoman said a P3 Orion surveillance aircraft had left Amberley base near Brisbane on Sunday to conduct the aerial survey, “weather permitting”. It is understood the Vanuatu government as of 5.30pm local time on Sunday was still yet to receive any of the aerial surveillance. A spokesman for defence minister Kevin Andrews said was transmitted in near real time to defence authorities in Canberra. The surveillance plane was one of four military planes that flew from Amberley to Port Vila, the other three bearing emergency supplies, medical and disaster teams and aid workers. Balpe said while the fact the pilot found a usable airstrip on Tanna’s sheltered western side was an encouraging sign in terms of getting aid through, his account revealed a true emergency. “The priority is getting someone down to have a look and talk to the local authorities,” she said. Red Cross already had volunteers and emergency supplies in Tanna but “by the impact that he described, those things are just a very small proportion of what is required”, Balpe said. While motorists in Port Vila queued more than an hour for petrol at the solitary fuel station that was open, a landslide and the destruction of several bridges in the city’s east made travel outside the capital virtually impossible. Australian expatriate Kenny Ang, who sheltered from the storm in the northern Efate town of Havannah, told the Guardian he had swum across a river and borrowed a friend’s car to make it into Port Vila. Ang said he saw “entire villages decimated” on his journey to the capital, where the extent of damage was equally shocking. “We saw people on the side of the road and they’re trying to rebuild in the aftermath but obviously it’s going to take a long time before anything gets fixed,” he said. “We’re currently in a queue that’s taken one hour to get petrol from the one station that’s open. I think it’s going to take half an hour to 45 minutes to actually get petrol. “People are waiting in line with containers and barrels to fill up to get to where they want to go.” Ang said from Havannah he could see the islands of Moso and Lelepa, “normally a luscious, rolling green, have been stripped bare” by the cyclone. Updated at 11.57pm AEST 7.08pm AEST08:08 Reuters has more comments from Baldwin Lonsdale, the president of Vanuatu, who is currently in Japan. He told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in Sendai, Japan, where he was attending a UN disaster recovery conference, that he fears the impact from a devastating tropical storm will be “the very, very, very worst” in isolated outer islands but damage was still being assessed. Lonsdale said most houses in the capital Port Vila had been damaged or destroyed by cyclone Pam, a category 5 storm: People are finding shelter where they can live for the night. The state of damage is still being assessed, we do not know exactly the extent of the damage … The number of casualties I do hope will be minor. Updated at 11.57pm AEST 7.01pm AEST08:01 Piecemeal reports are arriving from further-flung parts of Vanuatu as relief workers make their way slowly beyond the capital, Port Vila. Roads are difficult to travel and communications slow or non-existent, so it is laborious work: Some areas appear not to have been as badly damaged as had been feared: Good news: #VanuatuRedCross spoke w/ Torba volunteer Benjamin Brown on #Hui island, houses ok, banana trees & casava crops damaged #TCPam Tanna, which was close to the heart of the cyclone’s path, seems to have suffered badly: @aureliabalpe says a pilot who who landed on Tanna island in Vanuatu's south has reported widespread destruction and 2 deaths. And Humans of Vanuatu reports that: Teouma bridge is gone, blocking access to the most affected areas of Efate. 6.54pm AEST07:54 A new video posted by ADRA Vanuatu, a local NGO, shows the havoc wreaked on people’s homes on the islands: roofs torn off, possessions shattered and scattered: 6.45pm AEST07:45 'No serious looting' – Vanuatu police Radio New Zealand International news reports that all police officers across Vanuatu have been called into action: Vanuatu's Police Commissioner says all officers have been recalled from leave as they prepare to mount a massive operation. Vanuatu's Police commissioner says while there haven't been serious cases of looting, Police will cordon some parts of Port Vila tonight 6.29pm AEST07:29 Community group Humans of Vanuatu reports the almost total destruction of the power infrastructure. In a Facebook post, they report: Power crews are working around the clock to remove downed lines. I have not seen a single undamaged line in two days. We’re talking about rebuilding the entire capital’s power grid. Updated at 6.29pm AEST 6.22pm AEST07:22 'Lack of urgency' on climate change, says World Bank V-P As reported earlier, Vanuatu’s president, Baldwin Lonsdale, is, by coincidence, at the UN world conference on disaster risk reduction in Japan, from where AFP sends this report: Despite ominous predictions of mass devastation in cyclone-wrecked Vanuatu, policymakers at a UN disaster meeting in Japan do not seem to understand the pressing need to tackle climate change, the World Bank warned Sunday. A state of emergency has been declared in the impoverished Pacific nation, where dozens are feared dead after one of the most powerful storms ever recorded smashed through. Aid agencies have spoken of “grave fears” over the scale of the human tragedy. But Rachel Kyte, World Bank vice president and special envoy for climate change, said there appeared to be a disconnect between policy and the increasingly-frequent weather-related disasters the world is suffering. “I worry that a sense of urgency and a sense of shared ambition is not at the right level,” she told AFP in an interview on the sidelines of the UN conference on disaster risk reduction in Sendai, Japan. “It’s hugely ironic that this storm should hit Vanuatu while we are all here. If we truly care for those people, we have to respond,” she said, referring to the need for environmental commitments. “I think we have to hold ourselves accountable and at least voluntarily we should have targets” on emission reductions from the Sendai conference, she said. The conference comes ahead of COP 21 talks scheduled for December in Paris, at which countries will try to thrash out agreements on cutting greenhouse gases. French foreign minister Laurent Fabius, who will chair the meeting, told AFP Sendai could act as a springboard to success later in the year. Kyte told AFP: I don’t think I would say climate change caused [Cyclone] Pam, but I would say the fact is in the past three or four years we’ve seen category fives coming with a regularity we’ve never seen before. And that has some relationship with climate change. It is indisputable that part of the Pacific Ocean is much warmer today than in previous years, so these storms are intensifying. We may have helped communities become resilient to the kinds of storms we experienced in the past, but resilience to a storm with wind speed of up to 300km per hour – that’s a whole new intensity. The UN development bank chief, Helen Clark, former prime minister of New Zealand, said it was “impossible” to protect against natural disasters without addressing one of the root causes: Unless we tackle climate change on the global level we are making the task of building resilience to disasters almost impossible. 5.55pm AEST06:55 Night is falling in Vanuatu now, with much of the on-the-ground aid effort likely to have to wait until light tomorrow. The C17 aircraft that flew out from Brisbane this morning has just returned, having dropped off its supplies of aid. More planes will be heading out tomorrow. This image of Port Vila this evening comes from Colin Collet van Rooyen, Oxfam’s country director there: OxfamInVanuatu: Port Vila right now. Beautiful regardless of what #CyclonePam tried to do to it! Viva Vanuatu. pic.twitter.com/6squkCklua 5.36pm AEST06:36 Following the arrival of military planes earlier today, some food and other aid is being distributed in Port Vila, as the pictures below illustrate. So far, only the capital is accessible for humanitarian workers – there are reports that roads out of Port Vila are blocked, and bridges torn down. Aircraft have been sent out to record aerial imagery from more remote islands in an attempt to assess the damage there: 5.21pm AEST06:21 New Zealand is upping its financial and logistics support for Vanuatu in the wake of cyclone Pam, AAP reports. The foreign affairs minister, Murray McCully, on Sunday announced an additional $NZ1.5m ($A1.44m; £750,000) of funding, on top of the $NZ1m signalled on Saturday. A New Zealand defence force C-130 Hercules transported eight tonnes of supplies and an initial New Zealand team to Vanuatu on Sunday and two more flights will be sent on Monday. Air Commodore Kevin McEvoy said the Hercules carried first aids kits, tarpaulins, water containers, chainsaw packs and generators. Specialists from government agencies and the New Zealand Red Cross were also on board the Hercules. “Pacific nations such as Vanuatu are our friends and neighbours and we’re happy we can help at times of need,” he said. With the main airport being closed to civilian transport, the Hercules load would make a real difference, he said. There are 163 New Zealanders registered as being in Vanuatu. Cyclone Pam is expected to cause severe weather problems for the northernmost past of New Zealand itself as it passes nearby overnight on Sunday/Monday. Here is @NiwaWeather's most recent forecast for #TCPam at 6am showing wind and pressure pic.twitter.com/hFqfhK9fbw Updated at 11.57pm AEST 5.05pm AEST06:05 Baldwin Lonsdale, the president of Vanuatu, has told the BBC that “most” of the population of his country are homeless in the wake of cyclone Pam. Lonsdale said the cyclone had destroyed most of the buildings in Port Vila, including schools and clinics. The president was – by coincidence – at the UN conference on disaster risk reduction in Japan, where he told delegates: I am speaking to you today with a heart that is so heavy. I stand to appeal on behalf of the government and the people to give a helping hand in this disaster. 4.45pm AEST05:45 This brief report from Aurelia Balpe, head of the Pacific office of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, suggests that the remote islands of Tanna and Erromango in the southern part of the Vanuatu island chain have suffered catastrophic damage: 1st report private fly-over Tanna&Erramngo, trees uprooted, no corrugated iron structures standing, no roofs on concrete blds, no H20 #TCPam 4.40pm AEST05:40 Cruise ship operator Carnival Australia says it has donated $150,000 to Save the Children Australia towards the relief effort in Vanuatu, and says it will be sending fresh water and building supplies on Legend, its ship sailing to Luganville. The second largest city in Vanuatu is “largely unscathed”, it says. Can do cruise people. @CarnivalOz Jennifer Vandekreeke loaded car with freshwater & delivered to Vanuatu bound Legend pic.twitter.com/AX7QZmbLWT @CarnivalOz continuing to work with @savechildrenaus with plan for building materials to be carried on Carnival Australia cruise ships. 4.27pm AEST05:27 New Zealand prepares for Cyclone Pam Although New Zealand is not in the direct path of cyclone Pam, its northern areas are expected to bear the brunt of some severe weather as the storm passes close by. The government has warned people in the northeast of the North Island from Cape Reinga to Hawkes Bay, as well as outer islands including the Chatham Islands, to take precautions. NZ civil defence minister Nikki Kaye said: I’ve been advised that New Zealand is not in the cyclone’s direct path, but we’re still likely to experience severe weather in affected areas as it passes by. Other areas may also experience effects such as increased sea swells. Our thoughts are with those in countries such as Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands, which have been badly affected by the cyclone. New Zealand is providing appropriate assistance to our Pacific neighbours. Although I’m advised that Pam is losing strength as it heads south, MetService has forecast severe rain and wind in affected areas. Local councils and civil defence teams have spent the last few days informing communities and working with relevant agencies to prepare for potential severe weather. My message to New Zealanders living in affected areas is to make sure you have good preparations in place. This means having enough food and water and an emergency kit on hand. Also, secure outside objects that could blow around in high winds. We are treating this event seriously. Although we’re not on the direct path of this weakening cyclone, we are still likely to experience severe weather in affected areas. The New Zealand government has pledged $1.5m to relief efforts in the Pacific islands. Here's the 8am satellite image showing TC Pam north of New Zealand. Latest warnings at http://t.co/EI1S89fXlX ^JL pic.twitter.com/rjyUg8ar0f Updated at 11.58pm AEST 4.11pm AEST05:11 AAP is reporting that health is now a major concern in Vanuatu, where power outages have hit the main hospital. “We have heard that the generator at Port Vila Central hospital is no longer operational,” Oxfam’s country director in Port Vila, Colin Collet van Rooyen, said on Sunday. This not only affected patient care but also temperature-sensitive medications and vaccines, which need refrigeration. Collet van Rooyen said it was one of the problems that came up at a meeting between the high commissioners of Australia and New Zealand and Vanuatu’s top officials at the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) on Sunday. Water sanitation and hygiene at the shelters as well as the need for temporary mortuary facilities also emerged as major concerns at the meeting, Collet van Rooyen said. 4.09pm AEST05:09 Oxfam Australia reports from Port Vila in Vanuatu that the cyclone has caused massive, widespread damage. Oxfam’s country director in Port Vila, Colin Collet van Rooyen, said: At least 90% of housing here in Port Vila has been badly damaged; the kids have nowhere to go to school; there is no power at the hospital, which has also flooded in parts; and damage to the state mortuary means we need a temporary mortuary set up quickly. Clean water, sanitation and hygiene supplies are also a major issue for those left homeless and also those in evacuation centres, where there simply are not enough toilets or clean water for the amount of people in those facilities. With extra help arriving on the Australian government plane today we now have a team of 10 people working on this emergency response, and there is a lot of work to be done. Oxfam Australia’s executive director Helen Szoke said: It’s becoming increasingly clear that we are now dealing with worse than the worst case scenario in Vanuatu. This is likely to be one of the worst disasters ever seen in the Pacific. The Oxfam Australia page for donations to help those affected by Cyclone Pam is here. 4.03pm AEST05:03 Here is the full statement from Australia’s foreign minister, Julie Bishop, about the cyclone Pam relief response for Vanuatu: Today I announce that the Australian government will provide an initial package of support to Vanuatu, as it responds to the devastation inflicted by Tropical cyclone Pam. This support responds to a request from the government of Vanuatu. Australia stands with Vanuatu, our close friend and partner, at this difficult time. Our thoughts and sympathy go out to all those affected. The initial package of assistance from Australia will include: A first contingent of Australian officials and supplies arrived in Port Vila at approximately 12pm (local time). Australians with concerns for the welfare of family and friends in Vanuatu should first attempt to contact them directly. If unable to do so, Australians can call the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135 (option 6), or +61 2 6261 3305 if overseas. Updated at 11.58pm AEST 3.56pm AEST04:56 Help is coming from further afield, too, with France the latest nation to weigh in with offers of assistance: France will deploy a Navy frigate from New Caledonia loaded with helicopters and relief supplies for neighbouring Vanuatu. 3.47pm AEST04:47 Air Vanuatu to resume flights on Monday Air Vanuatu has said it will resume some flights between Port Vila and Australia on Monday. In a statement on its website, the airline said: Port Vila airport has reopened with limited facilities. Planned flights for Monday 16 March are: NF11 Sydney - Vila DEP 0600 ARR 0925 NF10 Vila-Sydney DEP 1120 ARR 1515 NF ** Sydney - Vila DEP 1615 ARR 1915 [** Flight Number TBA] NF21 Vila - Brisbane DEP 2115 ARR 2245 Tuesday flight schedules to be advised. 3.43pm AEST04:43 Charity World Vision, which is on the ground in Port Vila, Vanuatu, sends these images of damage from the capital: Updated at 11.58pm AEST 3.21pm AEST04:21 While information from Vanuatu is coming mostly from the capital Port Vila, as communications remain difficult or impossible with outlying islands, there is also scant detail from the other countries affected by cyclone Pam. New Zealand Red Cross has this update from its spokesperson in Tuvalu, Claire Shave: Some of the outer islands have had a very bad couple of nights indeed. They’ve had water washing away houses, buildings, community halls, that sort of thing. In addition, because the land is very flat they’ve had disturbance to some grave sites which is causing a great deal of distress. A state of emergency has been declared in Tuvalu. New Zealand Red Cross also reports that it is carrying out assessments in Kiribati, adding that sea swells caused by the cyclone have created further chaos. The picture below shows flooding in Kiribati before Cyclone Pam hit. Updated at 11.59pm AEST 3.07pm AEST04:07 My colleague Joshua Robertson is in touch with aid workers on the ground in Vanuatu. He sends these updates: 1st aid shipment to #Vanuatu by sea expected later on Sunday from Fiji: Oxfam's Colin Collett van Rooyen CARE's Tom Perry just landed in #Vanuatu on Aust military plane. From on high east of Port Vila looked "flattened". Two routes out of #Vanuatu capital Port Vila blocked by landslide on one side and bridge down on another: CARE's Tom Perry 2.53pm AEST03:53 What we know so far Information from Vanuatu beyond the capital Port Vila, and from other islands in the path of cyclone Pam, remains sketchy to non-existent. Here is what we know so far: Updated at 11.59pm AEST 2.42pm AEST03:42 A New Zealand military aircraft has just landed in Port Vila, Vanuatu: Royal NZ Air Force C130 arrives in Port Vila #Vanuatu #CyclonePam pic.twitter.com/SQL2C5Fuyg And further assistance is on its way from Auckland: .@NZRedCross staff at busy in our Auckland warehouse preparing more relief for the #cyclonePam response in #Vanuatu Updated at 2.42pm AEST 2.39pm AEST03:39 Australian prime minister Tony Abbott has just finished his press conference. He did not address cyclone Pam or the relief efforts, instead focusing on plans to tackle illegal firearms, and proposed higher education reforms. Updated at 11.59pm AEST 2.32pm AEST03:32 Summary Reuters has filed this round-up of developments so far on Sunday: The first shipments of aid headed for Vanuatu on Sunday as authorities declared a state of emergency and global relief agencies geared up after a powerful cyclone tore through the vulnerable Pacific island nation. With winds of more than 300 kph (185 mph), cyclone Pam razed homes, smashed boats and destroyed crops as it struck late on Friday and Saturday. The official count of confirmed deaths was at eight with 20 people injured. But those numbers were almost certain to rise as rescuers reached the low-lying archipelago’s outlying islands. Vanuatu’s National Disaster Management Office said the government still had no word from outside the capital. “Our communication link is still down,” said Paolo Malatu, a relief official at the office. “We haven’t got any information from outside Port Vila.” Witnesses described sea surges of up to eight metres (26 feet) and flooding throughout Port Vila after the category 5 cyclone hit. Satellite images showed a menacing spiral of storm covering virtually the whole archipelago. Thousands of people were homeless, many left standing stunned in the wreckage of their homes. Flash floods brought more misery in Vanuatu and neighbouring countries. President Baldwin Lonsdale, at a disaster risk conference in Japan on Saturday, appealed to the world to “give a lending hand”. He was trying to reach home on Sunday. Red Cross officials said the first aid flight, a New Zealand military Hercules aircraft carrying tarpaulins and other emergency supplies, was cleared to land on Sunday as Port Vila’s airport partially reopened. A UN team was also due in Port Vila on Sunday with members drawn from as far away as Europe. Britain, which jointly ruled Vanuatu with France until independence in 1980, has offered up to £2m in assistance. Aid officials said the storm was comparable in strength to typhoon Haiyan, which hit the Philippines in 2013 and killed more than 6,000 people, and looked set to be one of the worst natural disasters the Pacific region has ever experienced. Offers of help have poured in from around the world, but with communications down, information and access will be major obstacles. Aurelia Balpe, regional head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told Reuters communications were a huge problem and Vanuatu’s medical system was poorly equipped for such a large-scale disaster. “The country mostly relies on first aid posts and the supplies in the clinics are probably just antibiotics and pain relief.” On Sunday, Pam was moving away to the southeast, and New Zealand’s northern regions were preparing to feel its effects. Authorities there were warning the public to prepare for damaging winds, heavy rain and massive seas. Updated at 11.59pm AEST 2.15pm AEST03:15 This video posted by ADRA Vanuatu, an NGO working in the disaster-hit island chain, shows a family sifting through the wreckage of what was once their house. It had withstood two previous cyclones. Updated at 12.00am AEST 2.09pm AEST03:09 'This is the worst disaster to affect Vanuatu ever' My colleague Joshua Robertson sends this latest report on today’s developments: The first glimpse of the true scale of the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Vanuatu after cyclone Pam could come from overhead surveillance from Australian military aircraft, according to a senior government minister. Vanuatu lands minister Ralph Regenvanu said there were fears for the level of destruction and loss of life across the country, with communications outside the capital of Port Vila still non-existent on Sunday. Regenvanu downplayed suggestions by an aid agency that the toll in Port Vila alone could hit 50, saying it was “probably less than 10”. However, he said the government regarded Vanuatu’s “entire population” of about 266,000 as having been affected by the category five cyclone that struck the archipelago on Friday night. “We don’t know anything about the rest of the country but the cyclone affected all of the country, it started right up in the north and went all the way south,” Regenvanu told the Guardian after an emergency council of ministers meeting. “This is the worst disaster to affect Vanuatu ever as far as we know. We’re going to need a lot of assistance.” The government hoped aerial surveys would be carried out with the help of two Australian defence force flights that flew out of Amberley base near Brisbane. It was not clear when satellite imagery from other countries which the United Nations said would help the Vanuatu government map the scale of disaster will be available. A private tourist operator, Vanuatu Helicopters, was also set to help with the aerial surveys and the urgent task of re-establishing telecommunications towers on other islands, Regenvanu said. “Unfortunately we can’t communicate with anyone outside Port Vila so there’s no way to assess what the situation is,” he said. “We’re hoping the first aerial surveys will be going today.” Preparing the airport in Port Vila to receive more flights is one of the government’s priorities, with suggestions that commercial flights could be delayed by as much as a week, a major constraint on aid efforts. You can read the full report here. 2.05pm AEST03:05 The ravaged airport at Port Vila, Vanuatu, is a priority for repairs to allow further flights to reach the stricken island chain. Vanuatu lands minister Ralph Regenvanu has said that the runway – which was flooded at the height of the cyclone – has been cleared sufficiently to allow military aircraft to land. Radio New Zealand International News reports that “the control tower and navigation equipment are out of action and there has been significant damage to the international terminal”. Pacific Island Living magazine says a key priority is to restore lighting at the airport in order to allow commercial flights to resume. 2.02pm AEST03:02 Australian prime minister Tony Abbott is due to hold a press conference shortly to address the response to cyclone Pam. We will have live updates on this blog. Updated at 12.00am AEST 1.49pm AEST02:49 A C17 aircraft has taken off from Amberley RAAF base in Brisbane, carrying a defence rapid response team to Vanuatu: A C17 departs w cargo and rapid response crews on board 2 help repair Vanuatu's airport. #CyclonePam @7NewsBrisbane pic.twitter.com/DqgyrA6BdG A C130 aircraft has also just left from Richmond. Updated at 1.52pm AEST 1.45pm AEST02:45 An initial group of 10 personnel is now flying from the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre (@NatTraumaCentre) in Darwin, the first to be deployed from Australia. They will spend 72 hours on the ground in Vanuatu to treat the injured and assess the scale of further assistance needed: NCCTRC deployed to Vanuatu. Rapid assessment team and an initial treatment team. #CyclonePam 1.32pm AEST02:32 The World Bank is trying to rush financial assistance to the people of Vanuatu, AAP reports. The bank said it was looking at every possible avenue and working with partners to send support. Given the intensity of the event and reports of severe damage, it is exploring a rapid insurance payout to the government of Vanuatu under the Pacific disaster risk financing insurance program. World Bank Group president Jim Yong Kim said in a statement on Sunday: Vanuatu is ranked as one of the world’s most at-risk countries to natural disasters because of its vulnerability and exposure to cyclones. Cyclone Pam is a devastating reminder of the risks of disasters, and we will be working closely with the government to provide any necessary support. 1.29pm AEST02:29 'Neighbourhoods severely damaged beyond repair': UN report ReliefWeb, part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, reports: Tropical cyclone Pam has impacted the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, and Tuvalu creating serious damage including lost homes, road damage, and power and communication outages. It says a UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team is due to arrive in Port Vila on Sunday evening, adding: People in Port Vila are wandering around sleeping wherever they can find shelter. Standing in the Beverly Hills area of Vila you can see 360 degrees all over the city because everything is knocked down. All neighbourhoods near the airport and the airport itself are severely damaged beyond repair. People in Vila are boiling water as it is unsafe to drink from the tap. People are worried about water supplies and food shortages due to destruction of gardens. Updated at 12.00am AEST 1.08pm AEST02:08 '45% of Tuvalu population displaced by Cyclone Pam' Enele Sopoaga, the prime minister of Tuvalu says 45% of the population has been displaced by cyclone Pam, Radio New Zealand International reports. It quotes the prime minister: Forty-five percent of the population of Tuvalu, most of whom are on the outer islands, have been affected, badly, severely affected. We are worried about the aftermath in terms of hygiene and supplies of essential materials like food, medicine and water. Updated at 12.00am AEST 1.02pm AEST02:02 As hoped and expected, more aid flights are due to begin landing in Port Vila: Relief flights from New Zealand, Australia and New Caledonia are expected in Port Vila about now #CyclonePam A team of 10 humanitarian workers are set to fly out from Darwin, Australia, imminently. The group includes five doctors and nurses who will work with medics on the ground to provide emergency health care. There will also be rapid response workers who will make fast assessments of the situation on the ground in Vanuatu in order to coordinate further assistance for the disaster-hit island chain. Vanuatu’s lands minister, Ralph Regenvanu, has told reporters that just one ward of Vila Central hospital is still functioning. 12.53pm AEST01:53 Two Australian defence force flights that flew out of Amberley base near Brisbane on Sunday morning are the first foreign assistance to arrive in Vanuatu: RAAF aid on the ground in #Vanuatu #CyclonePam pic.twitter.com/sk3SXTJ7eK Aid efforts could be severely hampered by the ongoing closure of the airport at Port Vila. Commercial flights could be delayed by as much as a week, although it is anticipated that aid flights will be able to continue to land. 12.41pm AEST01:41 Care Australia sends us these images from Port Vila, Vanuatu, of the devastating effect of cyclone Pam. The charity has a page here for donations to the relief effort. Updated at 12.01am AEST 12.22pm AEST01:22 The Australian Red Cross has just issued this latest update on its relief efforts: #CyclonePam update: 28 evacuation centres now open in Efate, Vanuatu 200 #redcross volunteers going door-to-door to check on Vanuatu families after #CyclonePam Prolonged rains and heavy winds expected to continue for five days in #Vanuatu after #CyclonePam Immediate priorities after #CyclonePam: first aid, food, safe water, shelter. Our appeal: http://t.co/LCt8OwaKwg The Australian Red Cross has a page for donations to the cyclone Pam emergency response; you can find it here. Updated at 12.01am AEST 12.18pm AEST01:18 No reports of Australian casualties: Bishop It’s not possible at this time to confirm casualty numbers, Bishop said, but there were no reports of any Australian casualties. She said Tuvalu had announced a state of emergency in response to Cyclone Pam, and Australia will be sending emergency supplies there. Assessments are still going on in Fiji and the Solomon Islands. 12.17pm AEST01:17 Australia announces $5m 'life-saving package' for Vanuatu Julie Bishop, the Australian foreign minister, has been speaking about the response to the disaster in Vanuatu: We are working to assess the extent of the damage both in the short term and long-term recovery efforts. Bishop announced an emergency package of $5m from the Australian government. This will go to Australian NGOs, particularly the Red Cross and other United Nations humanitarian partners, she said. There would be Australian support for up to 5,000 people in the form of food, water, sanitation and shelter. The government would also assist in providing medical experts, search-and-rescue personnel, and disaster relief experts, Bishop said. It would also assist in organising travel for UN disaster assessement teams. Australian military aircraft have already left for Vanuatu this morning, she confirmed, with one plane carrying out reconnaissance and supplying imagery from across the islands. 12.08pm AEST01:08 Chloe Morrison, Vanuatu’s emergency communicator for charity World Vision in Port Vila, has just been talking to ABC News. She reported that she has seen Australian planes arriving at the capital. Port Vila was, Morrison said, “absolutely flattened”: The place that was once a tropical paradise now looks like hell on earth. The immediate needs are for the people of Vanuatu – a lot of those in isolated communities and islands have been cut off … People are going to need access to clean water, to food and to shelter. World Vision still has members of its own staff in Port Vila still to be accounted for, she said. Even though we had a lot of warning a bout Cyclone Pam … it was absolute pandemonium. 11.57am AEST00:57 This graphic shows the predicted path of cyclone Pam through the heart of the island chain. Communication with areas away from the Vanuatu capital Port Vila are currently poor or non-existent in the wake of the storm: Updated at 12.01am AEST 11.51am AEST00:51 My colleague Joshua Robertson has been talking to key people in Vanuatu about the rescue response. Vanuatu lands minister Ralph Regenvanu told the Guardian it was “a major disaster” just before he entered a council of ministers meeting to endorse a declared state of emergency and consider the government’s next steps. Regenvanu said there were great fears for the scale of destruction and loss of life in other provinces amid a dearth of information in the wake of the category five cyclone on Friday night. We definitely know that Erromanga and Tanna got the eye of the cyclone, whereas we missed out – and if this is what missing out means, I don’t know what happened to them. But we don’t know, there’s no communications. There are unconfirmed reports of entire villages being wiped out in the northern province of Penama. Care International Vanuatu program manager Charlie Damon said there were credible sources indicating there could be 40 to 50 deaths in the capital, Port Vila, alone. We have no idea how the other islands have fared and we can only assume it’s horrific. 11.43am AEST00:43 Opening summary Aid agencies are beginning their urgent response to cyclone Pam, one of the most powerful cyclones ever recorded, which is reported to have ravaged the remote Pacific island chain of Vanuatu. Vanuatu was hit directly by the cyclone early on Saturday. Unicef spokeswoman Alice Clements described it as “15 to 30 minutes of absolute terror” for “everybody in this country”. Aid agencies are currently in a meeting with the National Disaster Management Office where death tolls – although probably only for Port Vila, the capital – will be confirmed. Dozens are feared to have died, with thousands left homeless, though the numbers are expected to rise. We will have updates throughout the day as more information emerges. I will also be tweeting key developments @Claire_Phipps and my colleague Joshua Robertson will be reporting through this live blog and at @jrojourno. Joshua’s latest report is here. Updated at 12.01am AEST |