ePortfolio Activity 5

1. Cyclone Pam!
The Monster Storm that devastated Vanuatu

2. Agenda
 Introduction
 Overview
 Cyclone Pam; from the beginning
 Statistics on damage, fatalities and injuries
 The Effects
 Damage
 Statistics on Fatalities and Overall
 Outcome
 From Preparation
 Lessons Learnt
 Conclusion
Pictures sourced from IFRC website

3. Introduction
Tropical Cyclone Pam hit Vanuatu on March 14, 2015.
Vanuatu is an island nation in the South Pacific consisting of about 80 small
islands.
More than 260,000 people live on the cluster of 65 tiny isles.
Cyclone Pam was categorized as a 5 serve tropical cyclone on the Aus. and
Saffir-Simpson scale.
She turned out to be one of the worst cyclones ever seen in the Pacific region
and caused considerable damage throughout the country.
This presentation will take you on her journey from the beginning to the
devastation she caused and to the final question on how can we better prepare
ourselves for the next one?

4. Overview - The Beginning
Before Tropical Cyclone Pam become one of the worst cyclones ever seen in the
Pacific region it was recorded as a tropical disturbance on March 6th 2015.
Within two days the disturbance reached cyclone intensity and over subsequent
days gradually strengthened growing into category 5 cyclone.
It recorded wind speeds of 185 miles (300 kilometers) per hour which caused
considerable devastation throughout the country.
Pictures sourced from Wikipedia website

5. The Effects - Damage
Many of Vanuatu’s provinces were flooded and inaccessible.
Significant infrastructure damage caused problems with sanitation, food supply,
electricity, transportation, shelter, communications, security, and medical care.
Catastrophic damage occurred on the island of Erromango and Tanna. Where
communications was completely severed during the storm
Pictures sourced from Wikipedia website

6. The Effects – Statistics
Tables sourced from Wikipedia website
The United Nations confirmed death toll in
Vanuatu in the wake of Cyclone Pam from
11 to 16.
The UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs estimated 166,000
people had been affected by the cyclone on
22 islands, with thousands in evacuation
centers and tens of thousands in need of
temporary shelter.

7. Outcome – Preparation
Since people first settled in Vanuatu thousands of years ago, they have been
dealing with cyclones. They know how to cope.
What they did right:
 SMS warning system - for the first time, Vanuatu used an SMS warning system
to alert people of the approaching cyclone. Text messages, containing
condensed versions of warnings from the national meteorology service, were
sent every three hours as the cyclone intensified.
 Residents in Vanuatu boarded up windows and stocked up on supplies in
preparation for the arrival of cyclone Pam
 Vanuatu's government issued cyclone warnings for Torba, Sanma, Penama,
Malampa, Shefa and Tafea provinces and warned that torrential rainfall and
flooding, including flash flooding were likely over low-lying areas, river banks
and near coastal areas in the news and websites
 Police officers moved into different communities to make them aware of
evacuation centers which were mostly churches and government buildings
Pictures sourced from IFRC website

8. Lesson learnt
 Having an early warning System is paramount
 Establishing emergency communication and coordination in the first few days after
the disaster is paramount.
 With the humanitarian community rallying to support Vanuatu there is a critical need
for greater coordination efforts to manage aid to ensure it gets to the people.
 Food Security in the wake of Cyclone Pam is without a doubt one of the most serious
concerns
 More Evacuation centers need to be set up; the public need to be made aware of
these centers.
Pictures sourced from IFRC website

9. Conclusion
Cyclone Pam is a timely reminder that much more needs to be done to reduce
vulnerability to storms in order to prevent a disaster.
By investing now to build resilience to empower communities to better protect
their livelihoods, respond to emergencies, and transform future development
outcomes. Of course this cannot be done without committed financial
investment and political leadership.
We need to education people. Having the most advanced systems in the world
are useless if people do not respond to the warning; more awareness needs to
take place; people need to know what to do in the event of a cyclone.

10. References
RSMC Nadi — Tropical Cyclone Centre; March 2015
http://www.webcitation.org/6WqYaEYX7.
Fiji Meteorological Service website;
http://weather.noaa.gov/pub/data/raw/ww/wwps21.nffn..txt) on March 7,
2015.
Wikipedia Website; Cyclone Pam Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cyclone_Pam&oldid=659643056
World Health Organization; Cyclone Pam and its effects;
http://www.who.int/en/