Pacific: Kiribati, Tuvalu, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea - Information Bulletin n° 1
This bulletin is being issued for information only, and reflects the current situation and details available at this time. The National Societies of Kiribati, Tuvalu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, with the support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), are monitoring the situation closely. The IFRC Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) has been mobilised to support the National Societies of Vanuatu, Kiribati, Tuvalu and Solomon Islands in the implementation of respective Emergency Plans of Action.
The Situation
Since early March 2015, the Pacific region has experienced a number of severe weather events which had brought about significant impact to the countries across the region, most of which are small island countries. Severe Tropical Cyclone Pam, which reached Category V was the most destructive of these events creating widespread destruction in Vanuatu and flooding in Solomon Islands, while Tropical Storm Bavi in the Northern Pacific and Tropical Cyclone Nathan off the coast of Australia have further affected the humanitarian response in the region.
While much of the international community’s focus has been on Vanuatu , other neighbouring countries (Kiribati, Tuvalu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea) have also been impacted and require as much assistance in relief and recovery.
In Kiribati and Tuvalu, many of the low lying atolls have experienced the effects of sea swells and salt water inundation causing damage to infrastructure, housing, water supplies and creating health risks for many residents. The Government of Kiribati National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) reported that three outer islands (Arorae, Tamana and Onotoa) had been struck by strong winds which caused extensive damage to houses.
In Solomon Islands, damages resulted from the strong winds and flooding have been reported in in several provinces.
In Papua New Guinea, heavy rain since 4 March has created flooding in many parts of the country and up to 20,000 people have been affected across five provinces.
Fiji and the Marshall Islands also felt the impact of the large weather systems; however no significant damage has been reported.