Vanuatu relief efforts – How you can help

by Sue Richards on 20 Mar 2015 Tropical Cyclone Pam roared through the East Solomons and Vanuatu as an extremely destructive category five cyclone during March 13th/14th. Winds are estimated to have reached 250kmph with gusts peaking at around 320kmph, causing serious damage to infrastructure and leaving debris strewn across the Islands.

Shefa Province in Vanuatu has been declared a state of emergency, with other areas to be determined following aerial assessments. There are believed to be 25 confirmed fatalities. Of those who died, 11 were from Tafea province, eight from the main island, Efate, and five from Tanna.

More than 3,300 people are sheltering in 37 evacuation centres in Efate, Torba and Penama.

In Efate, an estimated 90 per cent of structures are either damaged or destroyed. In Port Vila the devastation amongst the yachts is extreme with 90% of boats damaged or destroyed.

Vanuatu is often described as a fabulous sailing destination and many comment on the friendliness of the local Ni-Vanuatu people. These people now desperately need your help.

How you can help

Rally organisers World Cruising Club (WCC) have kicked off a fund raising appeal amongst previous participants with a $10,000 donation from the company. The appeal is being made to sailors who have visited the islands, and especially Tanna, which has close links with the World ARC rally. Funds raised will be used to help rebuild the tourist and marine economy in these small communities, a vital source of cash income for many families. Contact mail@worldcruising.com.

Yachting World Port Vila, who operate the sea wall marina and moorings in Port Vila, Efate, report: 'Our moorings are not insured - neither would anyone insure the Natangura built Waterfront. Our 52 Staff and families have all had their roofs blown off - and their whole homes blown away. They have nowhere to live - and no food - and we are trying to get them cooking materials to boil their water. Help starts at home - and with 52 staff the situation is dire - and we need help - immediate help.' To provide support or donations contact Welcome@yachtingworld-vanuatu.com.

Funds pledged by World ARC sailors have already reached over $7,000 plus a further $10,000 from World Cruising Club. This is being used to provide immediate assistance to the Yachting World employees and their families and will help get the business up and running again. World Cruising Club relief funds will also be used to pay for supplies of building materials – nails, wires, tools, plastic sheets – which are desperately needed.

Yacht Adina chose to spend the 2014/15 cyclone season in Port Vila Boatyard and having tied their yacht down in a cradle and stripping her to the bare minimum escaped any damage. Owners Tom and Susie Partridge now want to help, and plan to sail Adina to the outlying islands as soon as Adina can be safely mobilised. Their main goal is to help villagers with materials to rebuild their homes and villages. If you are visiting Vanuatu please seriously consider doing the same. Building materials, food staples, clothes and items for children will all be warmly received. If you would like to make a donation to Yacht Adina to help out, please visit website for more details.

Yacht Aid Global (http://yachtaidglobal.org/wp/), were monitoring the long range forecasts and started to action aid for Vanuatu via the yachting community even before the cyclone had hit. Their focus is on food, water, shelter and first aid for immediate action. They are seeking donations of any kind to YachtAidGlobal (YAG), and are currently matching donations up to $5,000 USD.

Any yachts in Auckland NZ or Australia or in the region of Vanuatu who can help with relief delivery – Please contact YachtAid Global info@yachtaidglobal.org

The Butterfly Trust (www.butterflytrust.org) will be on the ground in Vanuatu aiding the relief effort. Possible activities include helping to rebuild school and medical facility infrastructure, enabling students to keep attending school, facilitating medical support and providing health and educational supplies. You can help by either donating money, or clothes and shoes for men, women and children. Visit website

OceansWatch (http://www.oceanswatch.org/) who do a lot of conservation and environmental work with the communities in Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands, are working hard on organising relief efforts. Whilst Vanuatu has started to receive Aid, the East Solomon Islands are receiving virtually nothing, so OceansWatch plan to concentrate their efforts first on Temotu Province, East Solomon Islands (where there was similar damage to Vanuatu) and also north Vanuatu.

Chris Bone of OceansWatch reports, 'Right now, we have people on the ground in Temotu where we have done needs assessments to ensure we direct our efforts where the most need is. Other agencies are addressing immediate food and shelter needs to some extent. We are helping them with logistics and transport. We are now looking at how best to help once victims have food and shelter. An urgent need is chainsaws to clear fallen trees from houses and gardens and seeds for re-planting the gardens. We shall provide chainsaws, safety gear and seeds. We are also providing chainsaw mills so fallen trees can be turned into planking for rebuilding efforts'.

OceansWatch are putting together yacht based teams in NZ to go to Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands as soon as it's safe. They have yachts that have been offered for use but urgently need help with refit work and a couple of good skippers/engineers. Contact Chris Bone (chris@oceanswatch.org) for more information.

Sea Mercy, has their own sailboats and focuses on reaching the remote islands that are usually the last to receive aid. Sea Mercy is now preparing to send her Disaster Relief Fleet (DRFleet) to join the Disaster Relief and Recovery efforts in Vanuatu, providing the care needed for the less populated and often forgotten remote islands during such difficult times.