Vanuatu community recovery after double cyclone

At the beginning of March, communities in Vanuatu faced two Category 4 cyclones in one week as Tropical Cyclone Judy was quickly followed by Tropical Cyclone Kevin.

Like other Vanuatu communities, Southeast Ambrym suffered huge damage and trauma. The area administration's report found that 50% of houses made from local materials, 20% of semi-permanent houses, 40% of roads and 40% of schools were damaged, as well as severe damage to food crops which most families rely on. Health over the next few months is going to be a huge priority due to malnutrition and difficulty in maintaining hygiene as 100% of toilets were damaged.

The Southeast Ambrym Port Vila Development Committee is run by Southeast Ambrym community members based in Southeast Ambrym and in Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu. They've identified shipping tools from the capital to Southeast Ambrym as their top priority to enable the repair and rebuilding of damaged infrastructure. They've identified particular needs for generators, chainsaws, axes, spades and other agricultural tools.

The money raised will go straight to the SAPVDC, ensuring that the community has direct control over how the money is spent.

These are the rough prices SAPVDC have been quoted for the items on their list:

Generator 68,000 vatu/$900 NZD

Chainsaw 33500 vatu/$450 NZD

Brush-cutter 18000 vatu/$240 NZD

Pick 1500 vatu/$20 NZD

Axe 1400 vatu/$18 NZD

Spade 1000 vatu /$14 NZD