Description
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake hit near Port Vila, Vanuatu, on December 17, 2024, at around 12:47 PM local time. The epicenter was approximately 30 kilometers west of Port Vila at a depth of 57 kilometers. Initial reports suggest at least six unconfirmed fatalities and major communication disruptions, which delayed contact with the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) and government officials until around 6:30 PM local time. Starlink was eventually activated to restore communication with the NDMO.
Communication, electricity, and water outages have significantly impacted the affected areas following the earthquake. Rapid initial response efforts are underway, with communities urgently requesting shelter for evacuees now staying on football fields without protection. Local authorities have emphasized the need for supplies such as drinking water, tarpaulins, medicine, and shelter materials and tools. Internet services remain down in the affected regions, with Starlink being relied upon for communication as telecom providers Vodafone and Digicel work to assess damages and restore their networks. Reports have confirmed six deaths due to a landslide and two people rescued To date 19 death reported and 1/3 of the population is affected.
Key highlights
• Magnitude 7.3 earthquake near Port Vila, Vanuatu.
• Occurred on December 17, 2024, at 12:47 PM local time.
• Epicentre 30 km west of Port Vila at a depth of 57 km.
• At least 6 unconfirmed deaths.
• Communication, electricity, and water outages reported.
• Rapid initial response underway.
• Evacuees are sheltering on football fields without proper protection.
• Supplies Needed are Drinking water, Tarpaulins, Medicine, Shelter materials and tools.
• Internet services still down; Star link activated to support communication.
• Vodafone and Digicel assessing damages to restore networks.
• 6 deaths confirmed from a landslide.
• 2 rescued from a collapsed building.
• Search ongoing for additional missing individuals.
• VRCS Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) activated on 17 December 2024.
• VRCS Staff on standby for response.
• 10 volunteers deployed to Vila Central Hospital Medical Store.
• Shelter Officer on route around the island for observation and assessment.
The Government of Vanuatu is leading the humanitarian response and all national clusters are actively coordinating and meeting regularly with all the partners. The Cluster system in Vanuatu is a stand-by committee that is also active during preparedness & response. Clusters are led by the relevant Line Ministry or National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) and co-led by agencies. After a disaster, and upon activation of the State of Emergency, the overall coordination of the response lies with the NDMO & the NDC.
VRCS, with the support of IFRC, Core-leads the Shelter Cluster in Vanuatu, supports the NDMO as lead agency, for this response, as well as it does during preparedness. VRCS operation includes all relevant sectors such as Shelter, WASH, Health, Logistics, Gender and Protection, Displacement and Communication and CVA.
The VRCS staff and volunteers working within each cluster are in continuous liaison and communication with their respective National Cluster groups to ensure information sharing and continuous updates. VRCS Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) was activated on 17 December 2024. 10 volunteers deployed to Vila Central Hospital Medical Store. Shelter Officer en route around the island for observation and assessment.