Transcript
Last week the alert level for the Manaro volcano was lifted to three and the government decided to evacuate the residents from Ambae - the third such evacuation since last September.
An official with the National Disaster Management Office on Ambae, Manson Tari, says people had learned to live with the volcano but the situation in the past couple of weeks has become untenable.
“A few weeks ago we received ashes and it's travelling fast and it's very thick so sometimes, during the day all our lights, at midday we have to light all the lights because it's very dark. We can't see far. “
He says it's now 'very very bad' on the island.
“Everywhere we have ashes. In our houses, in the offices and theree is dust everywhere, so when the vehicles [pass by] and the winds blow it created dust storms. So it's very, very bad here at the moment.”
The Vanuatu Red Cross' has had a team on Ambae in the past week waiting for the government evacuation to begin.
In the meantime spokesperson Dickinson Tevi says the charity has been getting aid to those affected.
“Basically the NFIs - the standard non-food items that we have for the victims - the shelter kits and the hygiene kits, all the standard items, water containers and it's only targeted for 1000 people.”
The government organised evacuation is set to start and Manson Tari is standing by.
“However, most of the people have moved on their own, have moved elsewhere, since they have purchased some ground and they have their families living in towns, like in Santo and also Port Vila. So most of them are already travelling, but now we are focussed on the government programme.”
Manson Tari says part of the government's thinking is that there is plenty of water available on Maewo.
Another NGO, Oxfam, is helping people settle in Santo.
Spokesperson Amos Kalo says it is assisting with what it calls the Cash Transfer programme, which is funded by Oxfam in the United States..
“The Cash Transfer Program is a programme that looks at providing opportunity to affected people to decide on what they need. For example, we will give them vouchers for non-food items so they can decide what to buy. On top of that we will provide them a monthly cash, which they access to buy other needs.”
Ash is also now affecting other parts of Penama province.
A Vanuatu Daily Post journalist Godwin Ligo says on north Pentecost food sources are already badly affected.
“The garden crops are practically damaged already. You don't see the green leaves anymore and the crops under the ground like sweet potato and cassava and all that will be OK for a period, but the banana trees and tropical fruits and cabbages and vegetables above the ground would be damaged and practically they will not be edible anymore.”
But Manson Tari, whose ambit includes Maewo and Pentecost, confirms parts of Pentecost are being affected but the impact on southern Maewo is minimal.
