Cyclone Pam

A short film celebrating the role of women in the recovery

A short film celebrating the role of women in the recovery

To mark the one-year anniversary of Cyclone Pam and International Women’s Day, Vanuatu Red Cross hosted a short film screening at Vanuatu Cultural Centre. The film, ‘Haos I Foldaon, Woman I Stanap’, aims to recognise and celebrate the role that women have played in helping their communities recover from Cyclone Pam.

 Working in collaboration with Further Arts, a team of women from Vanuatu Red Cross together captured the stories of nine everyday women - drawn from a cross-section of areas and industries - to provide a diverse perspective of the recovery process and the roles that women have played.

Helping Communities Recover

Helping Communities Recover

On March 13th, 2015, approximately 66,000 people across Vanuatu, were left homeless when Cyclone Pam, a category 5 tropical storm, tore through the country.

When the cyclone struck, Luis Lomai was in her family home in Lamanian village in West Tanna, together with her husband, seven children and two grandchildren. They were soon forced to move elsewhere after the walls and roof of the house collapsed around them. Together the family dodged flying debris as they sought refuge in neighboring homes. They were forced to continue their flight three times after the winds tore apart each place where they sheltered.

Miraculously the family escaped the cyclone unscathed, but Luis and her family were left feeling defeated after seeing the damage the cyclone had caused to their home and garden.

Red Cross continues to help communities rebuild

Red Cross continues to help communities rebuild

A year ago on March 13th, Cyclone Pam tore through the Pacific Island Nation of Vanuatu. The Category Five storm left immense damage in its wake affecting more than 200,000 people across five countries. Although Vanuatu bore the brunt of the disaster, Tuvalu, Kiribati, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea were also severely impacted.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) launched a major international response, working closely with National Red Cross Societies across the affected region. Within the first six months of its relief and operation across the five countries, 44,000 people had been reached with humanitarian assistance.

Tropical Cyclone Pam - 7 Months On

It's been 7 months since Cyclone Pam struck Vanuatu with devastating force. This infographic helps to explain the progress that Red Cross has made in their recovery efforts since this time and how they're helping the country's most vulnerable. Click here to view a downloadable PDF version of the infographic. 

 

Tropical Cyclone Pam: Six Month Progress Report Launch

Tropical Cyclone Pam: Six Month Progress Report Launch

Red Cross was the first organisation to carry out official relief operations, distributing essential supplies to affected people in the first month following Cyclone Pam. Six months on, we've provided assistance to an estimated 39,915 people affected by TC Pam in Vanuatu.

The first few months following the cyclone focused on relief – making sure that people could survive in the aftermath of the disaster. Now, the focus has moved to longer term recovery, to reconstruction and to being better prepared for future disasters. Following the relief activities, the recovery priorities for Red Cross in Vanuatu are to provide the means for cyclone-affected households to rebuild their damaged houses, have safe places for refuge and improve access to safe water, especially considering the increased likelihood of extended drought caused by El Nino.