By Kathryn Dunmore, Red Cross blogger
When Canadian Red Cross delegate Nicolas Verdy arrived in Vanuatu shortly after Severe Tropical Cyclone Pam, a category 5 storm, made landfall, he was amazed at the amount of destruction to buildings and vegetation but also at the resiliency of the people.
“Trees have not just fallen, but also thrown 30 feet and people’s crops have been affected to a degree I have never seen before,” said Nicolas. “It’s impressive to see visually the destruction, but people here are very resilient. Within days, they were cleaning up houses, roads were opening, and all with a smile on their faces.”
Priorities after Cycle Pam touched down on Friday March 13 included ensuring shelter, food, water and first aid was available to the people of Vanuatu and Tuvalu in the South Pacific Ocean.
Montreal native Nicolas Verdy shows supplies on the ground in Vanuatu /Photo Courtesy IFRC
“The positive attitude of the people here is contagious,” said Nicolas, originally from Montreal. “We’re up at 5 a.m. and, by 6:30 a.m., hundreds of people who have lost everything show up to volunteer and help the community. Another positive element is the response to the emergency appeal; the international community response to Vanuatu has been amazing. Also the work occurring early on from the Red Cross movement has a positive impact. Prior to the cyclone, Red Cross was working hard in assessing provisions and sending alerts and messages to evacuate so people were already preparing when the storm came in. For me, that is a clear reason why the number of casualties is as low as it is.”Canadians wishing to support our efforts can make a financial donation to the Cyclone Pam Relief Fund online, by calling 1-800-418-1111 or by contacting their local Canadian Red Cross office.
These images shared on Facebook by pilot William Dyer illustrate the extent of the destruction.
Posted by William Dyer on Wednesday, March 18, 2015
You can also see some video footage of Vanuatu Red Cross volunteers mobilized to assist.
