The National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) has sent the first shipment of food supplies, mostly dry rations to the island of Tanna as part of the Government’s response to the ash fall disaster.
An assessment on 31 March 2020 conducted by NDMO on Tanna shows that there are major impacts on the livelihoods of the people from the East to the Central parts of the island. The report shows that priority needs at the moment are food and water.
The government through the Food Security and Logistics Clusters assisted the Tanna Ash Fall victims with a shipment of 5,650 cartoons of bottled water, 5,650 bags of rice and 5,650 cartoons of canned food.
MV Touaraken 3 left Port Vila with half of the food supplies on Wednesday, 22 April in the morning and LC Mahalia left Port Vila for Tanna in the afternoon with rest of the relief supplies.
Over 28,000 people and 5,650 households were affected by the ash fall disaster on Tanna.
According to the Vanuatu Meteorological and Geo-Hazards Department (VMGD), Tanna Yasur Volcano is currently at Alert Level 2.
Therefore, the surrounding area has experienced ash fall as an ongoing disaster activity over the past fifteen years, especially in the South West part of the island.
The VMGD Volcanic Bulletin No. 2 dated Friday 13 March 2020, showed that Yasur is emitting plumes of volcanic ash emissions from eruptive vents and the presence of volcanic gases around the summit crater.
Acid rain is also an issue.
Based on these results, Yasur volcanic activity has now been upgraded to Alert Level 2, with Vanuatu Volcanic Alert Level (VVAL) of “Major Unrest”.
The response by NDMO to the Tanna Ash Fall is part of the current government response to at least four (4) disaster events throughout the country including the COVID- 19, TC Harold and the Teouma flooding disasters.
Photo supplied Caption: Loading of humanitarian relief supplies on the LC Mahalia at the main wharf