Main Highlights
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Tropical Cyclone LOLA made landfall on the eastern shores of Maewo and Pentecost islands on the night of 25 October as a category 4 storm with 205 km/HR winds.
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Affected areas are in yellow. Priority 1 areas are in red.
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Very limited communications with the affected areas. Coastal areas are badly hit.
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Today, aerial surveillance is scheduled for assessment in the priority 1 areas.
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Immediate damage assessments will be conducted by area administrators, and they will also conduct immediate distribution.
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Tomorrow Friday (27th), the HELPR1 ship is scheduled to leave from Port Vila to Priority 1 areas with the NDMO assessment team and emergency supplies.
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VRCS will be sending shelter items, initially tarps and possibly shelter tool kits as well for immediate distribution.
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If tool kits are added, technical orientation on how to use them will involve VRCS volunteers who have completed training on shelter kits during TC Judy-Kevin and the inclusion of printed IEC material.
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Stocks to be transported are mainly from VRCS HQ.
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NDMO has completed and signed the National Cyclone Support Plan
Situation Overview
At 6:00 am local time today, Ex-Tropical Cyclone LOLA (990 hPa), currently Tropical Low is located at 17.2 degrees South and 168.9 degrees East. Ex-Tropical Cyclone LOLA is positioned at the top right corner of the square letter I, number 8 (I,8) of the Vanuatu Tropical Cyclone Tracking map. This is about 95 KM southeast of Epi and 70 KM northeast of Efate. Ex-Tropical Cyclone LOLA has moved in a southeast direction at 3 KM/HR (2 knots) in the past 3 hours.
The central pressure of the system is estimated at 990 hPa. Winds close to the centre are estimated at 75 KM/HR (40 knots), gusting up to 105KM/HR (55KTS) within 23 Nautical miles from the center of the system, and are expected to continue to affect some of the Islands of SHEFA in the next 24 hours.
Damaging gale force wind of 75KM/HR with gusts up to 105KM/HR within 100 nautical miles from the center expected are also no longer significant threats to the islands.
Possible Isolated showers and thunder are expected over parts of Central and Southern islands today.