27 March, Vanuatu: Two planeloads of critical relief supplies touched down in Port Vila over the weekend bolstering the government-led response in Vanuatu after twin cyclones and earthquake ravaged the country. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)- operated Pacific Humanitarian Air Service transported this urgent cargo on behalf of Fiji’s National Disaster Management Office (NDMO)

In early March, Vanuatu, a scattered archipelago of 13 main islands was left battered by back-to-back Category 4 Tropical Cyclones – Kevin and Judy and then rattled by twin earthquakes of 6.6 and 5.4 magnitude. With over 251,000 or 80% of the population being impacted, the country is reeling from the aftermath of this devastation.

“Thanks to our partners, today’s flight carrying urgently needed relief items such as food rations and water will provide timely assistance to the government-led response after the devastation caused by the twin tropical cyclones – Judy and Kevin. The people of Vanuatu have demonstrated exceptional resilience in the face of these disasters, and we remain committed to supporting them.” Said Mr. Alpha Bah, Representative and Country Director of WFP’s Pacific Multi-Country Office.

“WFP and our partners will continue working closely with the Government to ensure that our efforts are aligned with their response and recovery strategies,” he added.

The 15 mt delivery consists of food rations, medical consumables, military equipment, and water to aid those impacted on the ground. WFP’s Pacific Humanitarian Air Service transported these critical supplies on behalf of Fiji National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) and as requested by Vanuatu’s NDMO.

WFP continues to support the response and recovery efforts led by the Government of Vanuatu in areas of logistics, emergency telecommunications and food security. WFP sent two Mobile Storage Units (MSUs) were sent to aid Vanuatu’s emergency preparedness prior to the recent tropical cyclones. These MSUs have arrived in Port Vila and will be instrumental in supporting response warehousing needs. WFP has additional MSUs, forklifts, and generators pre-positioned in Brisbane, Australia, and at the UNHRD hub in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, ready for deployment as needed. WFP deployed six personnel to Vanuatu and is implementing an automated data system to monitor daily distributions, facilitating the response effort of the National Food Security and Agriculture Cluster.

Source: WFP News

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