15 May 2017

More emergency supplies for Vanuatu following Cyclone Donna

4:02 pm on 15 May 2017

More emergency supplies including bottled water and medical equipment are being shipped to the areas in Vanuatu worst affected by Cyclone Donna.

A satellite image of Cyclone Donna.

A satellite image of Cyclone Donna. Photo: Fiji Meteorological Service

A number of vessels were sent to the Torres Islands over the weekend and more ships will depart today, including a French Navy vessel.

National Disaster Management Office director Shadrack Welegtabit said they were utilising stakeholders and humanitarian groups already in Vanuatu to assist..

He said a detailed damage assessment report is due shortly.

"We also have an assessment done for Torres and the assessment team arrived back in Port Vila and we will put together an assessment report and put it together with those people that came back from Torres to do the assessment, and once that report is done, that will be made available."

Solomon Islands disaster authorities are assessing the impact ofthe cyclone on remote islands in the country's easternmost Temotu Province.

Cyclone Donna hovered around the maritime border between Solomon Islands and Vanuatu for several days affecting, on the Solomons side, the islands of Tikopia, Anuta, Duff and Vanikoro.

Solomon Fresh-Beat Online reported that, over the weekend, officers from the National Disaster Management Office and various NGOs left for the affected islands onboard the Police Patrol Boat Auki.

They are to conduct disaster impact assessments and distribute emergency relief supplies.

Various local and international NGOs contributed 100 tarpaulins, 300 collapsible jerry cans, 250 hygiene kits to the mission combined with other supplies from the Red Cross and rice and water from the NDMO.

During the trip the assessment teams will also be training in the use of Kobo, the NDMO's smartphone based data collection system which aims to improve the speed, efficiency and accuracy of disaster assessments.

Lifou agriculture damaged by Donna

Meanwhile, New Caledonia's Lifou island suffered serious damage to its agriculture in last week's Cyclone.

An assessment of the damage by Cyclone Donna shows that 90 percent of crops have been destroyed.

The storm struck on Tuesday and passed the island as a category three storm at night.

There were no injuries reported but about 100 houses were destroyed.

Clean-up work has continued and most schools on Lifou and Ouvea could reopen today.

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