Pacific / Vanuatu

Vanuatu operations plan for Hola relief expected

16:13 pm on 13 March 2018

Vanuatu's relief operation in the wake of Cyclone Hola is expected to pick up after a meeting between all stakeholders in the capital Port Vila.

Damage from Cyclone Hola in Vanuatu Photo: Twitter/ Andrew Grey

The National Disaster Management Office maintains strict control of the response to natural disasters in Vanuatu.

No one is allowed to carry out relief work on their own.

The disaster management co-ordinator of the Vanuatu Red Cross Augustine Garae said the meeting in Port Vila this afternoon would be to discuss the findings of initial assessments conducted over the past week.

Mr Garae said the Red Cross hoped to get its tasking from the meeting so it could begin helping affected communities.

"Try to identify some areas that we think Red Cross will be more focussed there. So like we have human resources, we have volunteers, we have prepositioned stocks. And so this afternoon it will be clear from which area the Red Cross will be operating."

Initial assessments indicated Islands in the Central and Northern parts of Vanuatu were worst affected by Cyclone Hola with widespread damage to crops, homes and public infrastructure.