The state of emergency declared in Vanuatu after the passage of Hurricane Pam
Le Monde.fr avec AFP et Reuters | • Updated
Vanuatu authorities have declared a state of emergency Sunday, March 15, a little over twenty-four hours after the devastating passage of Hurricane Pam, category 5 (maximum level) on Friday. The president of this South Pacific archipelago had appealed for international aid Saturday which said Francois Hollande, who expressed his "full support" to the people and promised French assistance.
The government, which has so far made no report, confirmed the death of six people in Port-Vila, the capital, where 90% of homes were destroyed according to the NGO Oxfam. The UN, planning to deploy emergency Sunday if conditions permit, fear a large number of victims.
The archipelago has about 260,000 inhabitants spread over 83 islands, some of which are very isolated and have little infrastructure. The Port Vila airport is closed to commercial flights, the hospital was damaged, water and electricity operate intermittently and the phone only works in places.
The situation "grave and serious"
A military plane loaded with relief supplies took off early Sunday afternoon Noumea after a coordination meeting with the armed forces in New Caledonia, the Red Cross and the consulates of Australia and New Zealand. France and the two largest countries in the Pacific are linked through FRANZ agreements to coordinate their means of assistance in case of natural disaster in the region.
"The Casa type of military aircraft contains in particular a group élecrogène, food rations, a transmitter, a vehicle, an officer of Military Engineering, a member of the Civil Protection of New Caledonia and a member of the Red Cross" told the press Paul-Marie Claudon, Chief of the High commisaire of the republic.
He said the priority was "to take an inventory" of damage and have "a more accurate view of local needs," while the full assessment of the damage may take several days.
The Pacific Community (SPC), Regional development organization, will also finance the satellite images taken from Vanuatu to have a more precise interpretation of the disaster on remote areas.
"Absolute Terror"
"Fifteen or thirty minutes of absolute terror. "Thus Alice Clements, spokesman for UNICEF, described the passage Pam Friday. According to a statement from UNICEF, this cyclone could be "one of the worst in the history of the Pacific."
According Sune Gudnitz, regional head of United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the UN, Pam is a power comparable to that of Haiyan typhoon that devastated the Philippines in 2013. "Vanuatu is very vulnerable because of its location middle of the ocean, "he says. Most buildings are not designed to withstand such a storm, and many houses were torn off the roof.
En savoir plus sur http://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2015/03/14/cyclone-pam-l-onu-craint-le-pire-au-vanuatu-la-nouvelle-caledonie-menacee_4593422_3244.html#Ov9vwRdW41puTw1p.99
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