11.00am (AEDT) Monday 01 March 2004
Australian officials in Canberra and
Vanuatu, together with our FRANZ partners, France and New Zealand are working
closely with the Vanuatu National Disaster Management Office, other Vanuatu
authorities, the Vanuatu Red Cross and the United Nations Disaster Assessment
and Coordination team to help Vanuatu recover from Cyclone Ivy.
Australia quickly responded to the emergency, providing an initial $50,000 to support a helicopter reconnaissance mission to help gather more detailed information on damage caused by Cyclone Ivy.
Two RAAF Hercules C130 aircraft have just arrived in Port Vila with much-needed emergency supplies.
Satellite image of Cyclone Ivy showing location of Vanuatu, courtesy of JTWC.
These supplies, valued at $200,000, include 2,400 tarpaulins for shelter, 2,600 water containers and 5,200 packets of water purification tablets.
Australian assistance is also enabling local authorities to prepare 3,000 family relief packs that will be distributed to disaster affected communities by boat later today.
Two officers from Emergency Management Australia are on the ground in Port Vila, helping coordinate the humanitarian response.
On Thursday 26 February at approximately 6.00pm, Cyclone Ivy, a category three cyclone, with sustained winds of over 110 knots, passed over the capital of Vanuatu, Port Vila.
Initial reports have detailed damage to houses, schools, gardens, fruit trees and crops on many islands in Vanuatu. One death has been reported.
A clearer picture of damage and relief needs across the country will emerge as communications are restored with outlying islands and reconnaissance missions have been undertaken.
Australian officials in Canberra and Vanuatu will continue working closely with FRANZ, ni~Vanuatu officials and humanitarian agencies to help Vanuatu recover from Cyclone Ivy.
The Australian Foundation for Peoples of Asia and South Pacific Limited (AFAP) has established an appeal for Vanuatu.