Cyclone Pam, 2015 by Ella Benson
Vanuatu, one of the world’s poorest nations, is a sprawling cluster of more than 80 islands and 260,000 people, 1,250 miles North East of Brisbane, Australia. Situated on the active “Ring of Fire,” the nation suffers from frequent earthquakes and tsunamis, in addition to threats from storms and rising sea levels.
Tropical cyclones are frequent in the South West Pacific between November and April, with an average of ten a year. Rivers spill the banks and crops are destroyed, but the death toll is usually low.
However, Cyclone Pam, which ripped through Vanuatu on March 13th, was unique. With sustained winds of 145 knots (268km per hour), it was the worst Category 5 storm to hit the South Pacific since Cyclone Zoe in 2002. The more remote southern islands of Erromango, Tanna and Aneityum were the worst affected. Most of the islanders are subsistence farmers, with many living in traditional thatched houses, all of which were destroyed.
The immediate issue is contaminated water spreading infectious diseases and diarrhoea. Food prices may rise as a result of crop damage and reconstruction will take years, with all development that the nation has previously established having been destroyed.
However, in times of disaster, true courage and co-operation are displayed. Vanuatu’s president, Baldwin Lonsdale, was at a UN conference on disaster risk in Japan when his country was destroyed. Responding to his plea for “a helping hand in this disaster”, Australia, New Zealand and France sent planes to survey the damage and provide aid. Britain has promised a contribution of £2million. In addition, pictures have been released of students in Vanuatu laying books out in the sun to dry so they can return to school. Hundreds of books from the Central School library, which were blown away in the storm, have been scattered across the schoolyard. This displays the eagerness and enthusiasm for education globally, even at times of destruction and despair.