The National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) is investigating reports of two deaths during Tropical Cyclone Donna last month.
NDMO Director Shadrack Welegtabit said they are also looking into a report of food packages and medicines being out of date or expired.
During the response phases, the NDMO only received reports of injuries sustained by two people in Toga and Merelava.
A statement said the injured people received treatment from medical teams and are reported recovering.
Mr Welegtabit, said the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) will make further enquiries to confirm any information regarding the possibility of fatalities during Tropical Cyclone Donna.
‘During Tropical Cyclone Donna, the NEOC did not receive any reports of fatalities from any of the Provinces or Government department’ he said.
‘Despite no received reports to date, the NEOC will speak with relevant Secretary Generals and the Ministry of Health to confirm any other information. The NDMO is taking this very seriously and anyone with information should provide this to the NDMO immediately’ Mr Welegtabit said.
President Baldwin Lonsdale queried the response to the cyclone in Parliament last week.
President Lonsdale said expired medicine distributed to the worst-affected Torres islands had caused two deaths.
He also said food supplies were expired, and products being distributed had no labels or instructions.
Mr Welegtabit said the NEOC continues to remain active and is coordinating damage assessment reports and the delivery of additional relief supplies to Torres. The relief supplies included fresh produce donated by the Tafea Province and Tanna farmers which was transported on Wednesday by the Vanuatu Patrol Boat RVS Tukoro.
‘Whilst the relief supplies have been welcomed by affected villages, there has been one report that food packages and medicines sent to affected areas were out of date or expired’ he said.
Mr Welegtabit said ‘The NDMO has already met with the Food Security & Agriculture Cluster to investigate this.
Photo file: Facebook. Damage caused by Cyclone Donna in Vanuatu