The United Nations is warning the government and aid agencies supporting the recovery in Vanuatu not to let their guard down as they say the threat of a second disaster is very real.
Transcript
The United Nations is warning the government and aid agencies supporting the recovery in Vanuatu not to let their guard down as they say the threat of a second disaster is very real.
The UNDP's Humanitarian Coordinator for Vanuatu Osnat Lubrani made the call from Port Vila after recent visits to Tafea province on Saturday.
Ms Lubrani told Koroi Hawkins it could take years for some sectors in the country to recover.
OSNAT LUBRANI: Well look in Port Vila certainly things are looking much better. There has been a lot of work to clear the roads there is still of course a lot of devastation to be seen but certainly what we see in the capital is certainly nothing to be compared to what we see in the, to the devastation one can witness in other islands including the Shepherd Islands and Tafea. There it's even thought he main roads have been cleared the destruction is really amazing in terms of the shelter, the housing the houses that have been destroyed people without shelter, all of the crops destroyed and many of the smaller feeding roads are still not even cleared.
KOROI HAWKINS: You say the emergency is not over what do you mean?
OL: Well when I say the emergency is not over it means that there are still a lot of humanitarian needs that need to be covered. And so attention to Vanuatu must continue at least for the next three months. And that is for basic humanitarian relief including in particular water, food supplies. Ninety percent of the crops have been destroyed so there is an issue of food security and as I mentioned before the issue of shelter is also very troubling. People have lost their homes and are living in those few houses that are have not been, that have not fallen down. So shelter is also very urgent.
KH: I have just returned from Vanuatu I have been there for two weeks covering the cyclone and I have been through the Shepherd Islands through Erromango, Tanna and around areas around Vila and most of the chiefs I have been talking to most of the farmers say that three months is too short a time to be supporting them. They say the crops will only start growing back after three months and they won't be able to harvest until six months or even up to a year. Is this something that the disaster authorities have considered?
OL: Well what we are doing actually right now, you know the flash appeal that the government has put out with the support of the UN was based on a very rapid initial assessment. The teams that are actually going out today and will be doing the more in depth assessment this week and next week. And based on that we will actually see what, what the needs are and if need be we will, the government I am sure will adapt the timeline. Based on the information that, the initial information the humanitarian relief was prioritised for the initial three months. But certainly additional support will be needed it is not that this disaster is going to be addressed in three months. There is an element of early recovery even in the flash appeal for the three months there is a real importance to start working on precisely what you mentioned which is the replanting and trying to get livelihoods back. But I do share the concern that it is going to take some time. People not having, you know losing their livelihoods there are some crops indeed like the coffee plantations and the sandalwood that are going to take several years to restore. But there are certain measures that one can take. There is an opportunity for the UN to work with the government to generate alternative livelihoods for a while. There is some schemes that we have instituted in other countries that have worked very well for a short period of time to encourage restoration of community of community areas while compensating with some sort of a stipend that will at least allow people to buy essentials. But again I want to say we cannot put our guards down, there is always a chance that if water doesn't arrive on time the water and sanitation issues can lead to infectious diseases and we don't want that to happen. The fact that there has been a relatively low number of fatalities is on the positive side but we certainly don't want to let down our guard and end up with a worsening situation unless those basic needs are addressed.
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