The hardest hit areas established so far, were Shefa and Tafea, Penama, and Malampa, Northern and Western Penama Province, and Sanma and Torba Provinces, the UN team reported.
First Judy, then Kevin
© UNICEF/Sheenal Sharma According to the Vanuatu National Disaster Management Office, more than 250,000 people have been affected, which is almost 80 per cent of the country’s population. Less than a week after Cyclone Judy forced residents to evacuate from the capital Port Vila, they were then hit by Cyclone Kevin, a category four storm that brought heavy rain and winds measured at over 230 kilometres an hour, or 142 miles per hour.
Connectivity challenge
The UN’s intervention comes at the request of the authorities in Vanuatu, confirmed aid coordination office, OCHA, which said on Thursday that eight staff have deployed to the capital, Port Vila, to support the Government-led response. A state of emergency was declared on 3 March. Initial reports indicate that homes, livelihoods and power lines have been damaged, but impact assessments have been hindered by connectivity problems linked to the emergency.
Aligning support
He added that UN teams would continue to follow the lead set by Vanuatu’s National Disaster Management Office, and the Government, “to ensure our support is aligned to their recovery priorities.” Humanitarian snapshot of Vanuatu in aftermath of tropical cyclones Judy and Kevin as of 8 March.