Cyclone Pam devastates the island nation of Vanuatu

On the 14th March Vanuatu experienced the worst natural disaster of its history. The cyclone passed over the nation of 83 islands with unbelievable winds of 320 km/h and destroyed almost everything that the islanders have built. Communications between the individual islands is interrupted and so the total number of casualties remains unknown up till now. One thing which is certain, however, is that hundreds, if not thousands of families have had their stores and harvests destroyed. Famine is impending. It remains to be seen just how many of the almost 250,000 inhabitants of Vanuatu will be struck and where the most help will be needed.

But there is no reason to wait. Malteser International wants to do everything it can to deal with the unimaginable scale of the destruction and will provide assistance via a local partner. Vanuatu is one of many archipelagos which are naturally particularly vulnerable to natural disasters. The flat terrain makes it impossible to withstand storms and floods. Due to distance, hospitals and care facilities are not easily available. The people of Vanuatu therefore need help that is mobile and will arrive quickly, in particular.

We have been working with our partners in the Asia Pacific region since 2012 in order to reduce disaster risks and to bring help to the worst possible cases.