New Zealand has come forward to help deliver $3.5 million vatu worth of water, sanitation and hygiene kits to those affected on Ambae Island.
New Zealand High commission in Vanuatu reports that New Zealand is working with the Adventist Development Relief Agency and the NDMO to deliver the items to the island.
Earlier this week, a New Zealand Defence Force P-3K2 Orion aircraft conducted an aerial survey of Monaro Voui Volcano on Ambae, as well as the volcanoes on Ambrym and Lopevi.
The high resolution surveillance imagery taken by the aircraft has been provided to Vanuatu’s National Disaster Management Office and the Vanuatu Geohazards Department to assist with their assessments of the volcanic activity.
New Zealand has also funded GNS Science to deploy two volcanologists to further support the Vanuatu Geohazards Department with their assessments.
Emergency funding of up to $4 million vatu is also provided to Vanuatu to assist with their immediate reponses to the state of emergency and stand by to support the evacautions.
Vanuatu government ordered for a mass evacuation on the Island of Ambae which requires as many people as possible to have evacuated by Saturday.
Vanuatu Red Cross Disaster Risk Reduction Coordinator, Agustine Karae says groups have been set to visit the Ambae island to create awareness for a mass evacuation.
“Groups are going around to create awareness as a total of 10,000 people will have to be evacuated from the Ambae Island by Saturday,” he said.
Karae says the government has arranged for boats that would be transporting the people off the island by Saturday and Sunday.
As evacuation centres are crowding up from the number of people evacuated so far, Karae says negotiations are made with other provinces to provide support to the evacuees.
“Negotiations have been made with other provinces for help where people from western side of Ambae Island will be moved to Santo, people from North will be moved to Malekula and Malapa and people of eastern side of the island will be evacuated to Pentecost Island and Maewo Island,” he explained.
Karae told Loop Vanuatu that security issues are under control for the evacuees as military and police have been deployed on the evacuation centres.
Shelter, food and water management is an issue and Karae says Red Cross is trying its best to address to the needs of people with the government.
People are urged to stay away from the danger zones on the Ambae Island and to take necessary precautions on the use of water.
Red Cross Organizational Development Coordinator, Dickinson Tevi, says the mass
Red Cross has been supplying water, hygiene items and food supply to the evacuation centres.
Appeals have also been made on social media by groups and organizations for donations to help the evacuees with necessities.
Photo supplied by New Zealand High Commission in Vanuatu Facebook
