On Wednesday 1st March, Tropical Cyclone Judy struck Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila, bringing heavy rains and gale-force winds to the Pacific nation.
Two days later, twin earthquakes and a second cyclone, Tropical Cyclone Kevin, hit the nation. This marked the first time Vanuatu has been by two Category 4 cyclones back-to-back. Thankfully, no deaths have been reported. However, much of the country’s vegetation was destroyed, thousands of homes damaged and many areas experienced power outages and water loss for days.
In wake of the destruction, the Vanuatu Government has declared a state of emergency.
Australia’s Aid Response
The Australian Government was the first to respond on Saturday 4th March. The Government sent a 12-person rapid assessment team to Port Vila to help with aerial damage assessments and a range of disaster, health, infrastructure, power and humanitarian assessment capabilities.
HMAS Canberra was also deployed to Vanuatu on Sunday. The vessel carried more than 600 ADF personnel and specialist disaster response capabilities including helicopters, engineers and amphibious vehicles as well as an initial support package for the cyclone response including shelters, water purification supplies and other essential items for impacted communities.
Prayer Points
- Pray for the full recovery of the country.
- Pray that the people of Vanuatu would not lose hope.
- Pray for a strong and health mentality amongst those impacted.
- A prayer of thanks for God’s protection with no reports of deaths or injuries as a result of the cyclones.
- A prayer of thanks for the immediate aid sent by foreign countries, including Australia.