Tag: Emergency 365
“We have had to use all of our savings to buy food”
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“As our plane descended into Port Vila, I caught glimpses of the islands that make up Vanuatu between perfectly formed clouds, which looked still, as if in a painting — the blue of the ocean a calm turquoise canvas beneath. The islands themselves looked ravaged, trees torn and broken and houses left without roofs or walls. I found myself imagining how different this view would have been just a week before, on the eve of the biggest cyclone to ever hit the Pacific.” Read more »
“My only thought was that ‘this is the end’.”
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Lisa was heavily pregnant when Cyclone Pam hit Vanuatu. She and her husband decided to leave their home though and take shelter in a nearby church with some of their neighbours. They didn’t believe their house could withstand the storm. And they were right. Read more »
Vanuatu: residents signal for help
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As aid begins to reach the hard hit Vanuatu islands of Tanna and Erromango, aerial assessments of other islands show residents signalling for help using mirrors, or by marking out large white “H’s” on the ground. Read more »
Vanuatu resilient in the face of Cyclone Pam
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Colin Collett van Rooyen, Country Director of Oxfam Vanuatu remarks of the resilience of the people in Vanuatu as they face an extreme challenge in Cyclone Pam: “Their absolute resilience clear as crystal on what was otherwise a dark day. Muted smiles when any form of smile would be near impossible for most. Tears too, but hugs – tight embraces of personhood. Being there and being with each other for each other.” Read more »
The aftermath of Cyclone Pam
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More Oxfam Humanitarian Emergency responders have flown to Vanuatu this morning as the unconfirmed death toll from Cyclone Pam begins to climb. Oxfam Country Director in Port Vila, Colin Collett van Rooyen, said the situation in Vanuatu was increasingly grim. Read more »
Vanuatu prepares for Category 5 Cyclone Pam
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A severe Category 5 cyclone is on it’s way to Vanuatu. All six provinces and islands are on red alert — the highest alert and warning level in Vanuatu. Colin Collett van Rooyen, Oxfam’s Country Director in Vanuatu says Oxfam is on standby but is worried for the small island nation. Read more »
Challenges remain for Haiti five years after devastating quake
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Five years ago this month, the most powerful earthquake to hit Haiti in 200 years struck the teeming capital of Port-au-Prince, killing more than 220,000 people, injuring more than 300,000 others, and reducing great swaths of the city to rubble. Read more »
Indian Ocean Tsunami, 10 years on: how life goes on in Aceh
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10 years ago, the Indian Ocean Tsunami shocked the world — 230,000 people lost their lives and 1.7 million were displaced. It remains Oxfam’s largest humanitarian response to date, helping around 2.5 million people between 2004 and 2009. Rahmat and Arie were children when the tsunami devastated Indonesia’s Aceh province. They share their experiences with us today.
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Multiple typhoons mean farmers in The Phillipines face hunger and poverty
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Estrella is only one among 4,139 rice farmers who have borne the devastation of three typhoons that have torn across the island of Samar in the past thirteen months. This is the third time they’ve lost their crops, and have been left with nothing to harvest. Read more »
Oxfam response teams in The Philippines on high alert
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Typhoon Hagupit continues to advance across The Philippines, dumping intense rainfall and causing flooding, storm surges and high winds. Oxfam is working to ensure clean water and sanitation for affected communities and the hundreds of thousands of people seeking refuge in evacuation centres. Read more »
