Actually these are good solid timber trees, felled by TC Pam, but with your help, it has not been wasted. They are being used to build the new homes for the 45 households that were lost to TC Pam. See more photos in the gallery!
With his trustworthy Husqvarna Chainsaw, John's fine skills is a great asset to our community!
As we close our page, we would like to acknowledge the immense help and support from all our family and friends in New Zealand and Overseas, for what you have given to assist our family on Panita Village, after the worst ever cyclone to have gone straight over a Pacific Island Country in recent times, the terrible TC Pam.
After the cyclone, 45 homes were destroyed and food was an immediate priority issue. The Disaster Management Office, with international help was managing food distributions nationwide, but there were some instances where the community was running low of supplies and so the contributions was used for a first round of food consisting of 6 X 25 Kg bags of flour, 6 x 25Kg bags of rice, and 3 x bales of sugar on mid June 2015.
Along with that we decided to motivate the people to start thinking about milling the fallen native timber trees to begin the accumulation of building materials for their new homes, so a drum of Petrol and 20L of Chain oil also landed on the village. The villagers would have to pay for the Chainsaw operators themselves, but the supply of petrol, over time, proved to be a great motivator for people to find the money and get milling. Many more community members, having seen what others are doing, began their efforts to get their timbers ready, which meant a new 200L drum of petrol and 20L of chain oil was needed, and which was possible through your contributions to this page.
The international aid agencies and Governments also donated roofing iron to the Vanuatu government, which was then distributed to all affected households including to our village of Panita. It worked out perfectly because they now have roofing iron, and a few extra pieces of donated timber to compliment the native timber they have been milling.
With the current onslaught of drought brought on by the el Nino effect currently affecting the Pacific, the growing of food crops was not going as well as people and the government had expected. So although we were planning to buy nails for the construction of homes, the food issue was still a priority concern. On the 25th of September, we had to ship another lot of rice and flour for the community. And of course another 200L of petrol and 20L of Chain Oil to carry on with their rebuilding efforts.
I have delayed updating everyone until I got some photos of what is happening on the ground. I acknowledge the assistance of Jackson Ben (Safe the Children field officer), and Christina Pakoa for the photos.
I would like to conclude by thanking Heidi's mum and Dad, for their assistance in setting up this page, and for their tremendous support through out the appeal. To all our friends, and family, and to the lovely customers of the one and only JustPacific Trading, Thank you from the Rarua family in Wellington, and on behalf of our wider family on Panita Village, Tongoa Island, Vanuatu. May God continue to bless you all!
Updated by Nelson.
This photo says it all. Two of my cousins at the beach looking back at the village. What lies before them is massive coastal erosion, brown trees, and barren hills.
Thank you every one of you good people who have made donations towards our rebuild cause, and giving our family hope to stand up and carry on!
(updated by Nelson)
Today we were able to finally see some pictures of our Village. It is quite simply heart-breaking. TC PAM left a trail of total destruction on the island, and shows the overwhelming amount of work ahead for our community.
This is our flattened house, and beside it is the foundation of my dad’s house (vanished in the 340Km/hr winds). Fortunately our truck was spared.
Initial Rapid Assessment led by the Vanuatu Government in four provinces having revealed the depth of damage to the agriculture sector in the rural areas. The banana crop throughout the country has been almost entirely destroyed, as have most coconuts and all of the inland cabbage plants and leafy vegetables. Root crops, which are an important local food source, have been uprooted or flooded in, while the majority of fruit trees have been stripped, and a large number of livestock have been killed.
The rural population will be without native grown food from April till mid-June. This estimate from the national Government is based on rural farmers replanting their food gardens at their earliest opportunity. The Government has also requested the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to help the agriculture sector get back on its feet.
Meanwhile the families in the Village have reacted quickly in saving planting material, and have stated making new food gardens. But the task is complicated by the enormous amount of effort required to manually clear the debris off the land, slowing down progress on this front which could push back on the national Government estimates for the return to native grown food. Assistance towards this early phase of the recovery process is critical.
So here’s where we thank Heidi’s dad for kindly donating his trustworthy Stihl Chainsaw, which is badly needed to speed up the clearance work so people can get on with the important immediate task of growing food. And also another big thank you to the Stihl experts at Hutt City Stihl Shop, Alicetown, for the excellent servicing work done on preparing it for shipping over to Vanuatu. Thank you so much for the assistance.
(Update by: Nelson)
The first set of UNICEF Education supplies have arrived in Tongoa in the Shepherd Islands. They include seven tents to provide Temporary Safe Learning Spaces, backpacks, School-in-a-Box and Early Childhood Development kits. These supplies will allow 570 children to resume school. The first Temporary Safe Learning Space has now been set up.
The children of Tongoa are very excited about the new backpacks that they will receive on Monday, when school begins again in the new ‘School in a box’ tents. Although they will be having their classes in the temporary shelter provided by UNICEF, they will be able to get back into a routine again after TC Pam disrupted their young lives.
Population: 2501
No. of Households: 666
No. of Villages: 14 (plus 4 settlements)
No. of Schools: 7 primary school, 1 secondary schools
Health Facilities: 1 Health Clinic, 2 Dispensaries
Location: Tongoa Island, Shepherd Islands Group, Shefa Province, Vanuatu
Coordinates: 16°53'28S168°33'04E
(Source: Shefa Provincial Government Council)
Damage Statistics
• 100% of households affected (Source: Vanuatu Government Representative)
• 100% of crops damaged or destroyed (Source: Vanuatu Government, Department of Agriculture)
• 90% of homes and buildings damaged or destroyed (Source: Vanuatu Government Representative)
• 7 out of 8 schools were damaged or destroyed Source: Field Assessment)
• 3 out of 3 health facilities damaged (Source: Emergency Department, Vanuatu) Multiple water sources contaminated/polluted (Source: Field Assessment)
Executive Summary
Tongoa Island, Shefa Province has received little assistance in the weeks following Tropical Cyclone Pam. The first shipment of aid arrived on March 23rd, 10 days after the cyclone, to provide inhabitants with minimal water and food supplies. After conducting a 3-day needs assessment (from March 25th– March 27th), the following observations were made:
WATER:
Multiple water sources (especially wells, tanks) were contaminated with soil, debris,leaves. There are fears of water shortages, as well as serious health concerns resulting from drinking contaminated water, such as diarrhea and typhoid (Source: Emergency Department,Vanuatu Government). Most villages rely on catching rain water, only a few underground springs for drinking water.
FOOD SECURITY:
Virtually 100% of crops were damaged or destroyed, leading to severe mid to long-term food security issues. Villagers are currently living on food aid, foodstuffs they had stored before the disaster and some of the other below-ground crops that have survived the cyclone. However, most of the crops on the island (E.g. sweet potatoes, yams, taro, casava and manyok) take a MINIMUM of 3 months to grow and harvest.
FOOD SECURITY:
Many fences that were protecting crops and gardens have been destroyed. As a result, livestock (E.g. cattle and pigs) are eating the crops that remain, which is greatly exacerbating the food security situation. Many of the villagers’ gardens are also covered in debris, making it extremely difficult to replant seeds without first clearing their gardens of debris using axes, chainsaws, bush knifes, etc. Seeds are being distributed by a number of governmental and non-governmental agencies, but gardens must first be cleared of debris and protected by rebuilding fences before replanting. To meet immediate needs, the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO), Israaid and Member of Parliament for Tongoa Island has distributed flour, rice and drinking water. Tongoa Island has traditionally been a very self-sustained community, and the lack of local food sources adds financial pressure to buy food from external sources.
EDUCATION:
7 out of 8 schools damaged or destroyed. Structural damage as well as damage to materials, including books, desks, chairs, etc. Schools are supposed to recommence next week, but many school teachers are concerned that this will be delated due to the focus on recovery. UNICEF have begun to provide temporary school spaces (in tents) to some of the schools on Tongoa Island.
SHELTER:
Minimum of 90% of homes damaged or destroyed. Some of the concrete structures survived, but the vast majority of wooden structures with tin roofs were heavily affected. As of 29thMarch, some tarpaulins and basic materials have arrived on site, although many of the affected populations continue to sleep in make-shift shelters (often a large number of villagers sleeping under one roof).
HEALTH:
All heath facilities on Tongoa Island have been damaged or destroyed; not only the health clinics themselves, but the supporting facilities such as staff housing, medical equipment, etc. (Source: Emergency Department, Vanuatu Government). Tongoa Island’s health services support not only the island’s 2500 inhabitants, but also serves the inhabitants from surrounding islands, which have limited resources. Specifically, residents of Epi, Tongariki, Makira, Mataso, Puniga and Emae often rely on Tongoa’s health services for serious issues, making the catchment population much larger than just Tongoa’s residents. AmeriCares and NYC Medics are currently operating mobile clinics (based near the air strip, Pele Village) in order to reach all 14 villages across the island.
NON-FOOD ITEMS:
Save the Children were observed to be distributing Household Kits with essential items to a number of households in Tongoa. Contents: 1 x Bucket, 1 x Jerrycan, 5 x Blankets, 1 x Tarpaulin, 1 x Rope, 1 x Basic Kitchen Set, 13 x Body Soap, 2 x Laundry Soap.
Tuesday 24th March 2015, Food aid has finally arrived in the Village, estimated to last between 15-17 days.
The villagers are fully occupied with clearing up the village, salvaging what ever building material they could find. The compounds are littered with trees, and the manual clearing up is a very slow process. The villagers have to be very careful about how they go about their day, from what they drink, what they eat, maintenance of hygiene, and how much work they do. The local hospital and dispensary have been destroyed by the cyclone and what ever medicine they had on the premises have been ruined.
On that note we will be buying a chainsaw next week to help with removing the larger trees from the compounds. We will update on the progress of this activity next week.
We are also happy to report that the villagers have also been busy planting new food gardens with what ever planting materials they could salvage from their shredded gardens.
We hope to have some pictures soon of the village to share, so please keep checking for future updates on this page.
Thank you so far for your donations. There is a lot to be done, which is over and above what little the aid organizations do, so we are grateful for any donations no matter how small. Every cent counts toward the rebuild.
22 March 2015
We finally got through to our family on Panita, Tongoa, today! I spoke with my mum and brother and so happy that everyone in the Village and Island are ok. It is a miracle they all survived. They have been through an horrific ordeal. Our houses are all gone, vanished from the face of the earth. Gardens and crops are non existent, and all that is left in the village is a carnage of trees and branches. They are all starting from less than nothing. My brother secured the water well before Pam descended upon the community, and now it is the only drinkable water source for our whole Village. They are still living on food crops that were left deep in the ground after the aerial parts were shredded by the 340Km/hr gusts. 8 Days on and we hear of a Ship leaving Port Vila with Aid for them.
Saturday 21 March 2015
Devastating pictures of Tongoa Island post Cyclone PAM - clean up in nearby villages.
Check out our Gallery for more pictures...
None in from our Panita Village as yet.
Saturday 21 March 2015 - Posted on Facebook
The Prime Ministers Office
Please note the following with regard to Tongoa:
An on ground assessment was conducted on 18th March. Today 352 wash kits arrived on a commercial flight ex Brisbane and were immediately transported to MV Serafenua for loading prior to her departure. They are designated for Tongoa further to the assessment undertaken by NDMO's WASH cluster. This is to complement food aid and shelter that is also allocated to Tongoa based on the assessments carried out by NDMO. Please share this information with family and friends.
