Preparations are underway in Vanuatu as Cyclone Donna, now a Category Two cyclone, moves slowly towards the north of the country.
Central and southern Vanuatu are also expected to be affected and the Director of the National Disaster Management Office, Shadrack Welegtabit, says authorities are not taking any chances.
Welegtabit said the National Operations Centre has been activated at the national and provincial levels.
“So the first thing is to put messages together to the public to tell them that there is an incoming cyclone and for them to start cyclone preparedness. Now that has been going on yesterday and today we are still doing that giving out messages by all media outlets like the radio and telecommunication companies via SMS messages. We are getting people to be prepared,” he said in an interview with Pacific Beat.
Welegtabit said NDMO is also working closely with the private sector to ensure communication links that they operate are not affected.