My heart is in my throat right now.
From reliefweb the report from the UN Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
http://reliefweb.int/...
Vanuatu is located just north east of New Caledonia.
The NBC report has the report from international aid workers who have just arrived.
http://www.nbcnews.com/...
"The situation is a disaster," Jacqueline De Gaillande, the CEO of Vanuatu Red Cross, told NBC News. "Most people have lost their homes. All the roofs have gone. People are outside trying to find their belongings on the ground. Lots of trees have fallen on the houses. It's really a big disaster."
De Gaillande told NBC News that six deaths have been confirmed.
Aid agency Oxfam said up to 90 percent of housing in the nation's capital, Port Vila, had been seriously damaged.
"This is likely to be one of the worst disasters ever seen in the Pacific," Oxfam's Vanuatu director, Colin Collet van Rooyen, said in a statement.
"The scale of humanitarian need will be enormous and the proud people of Vanuatu are going to need a lot of help to rebuild their homes and their lives. Entire communities have been blown away."
From ShelterBox's Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/...
Cyclone Pam has struck the south Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu with devastating consequences. The cyclone brought winds in excess of 270km/h (170mph) causing widespread damage. The capital of Port Vila is said to have suffered considerable damage but there are grave concerns for other more vulnerable islands too. ShelterBox has mobilized a response team with two volunteers heading to Vanuatu from Australia and New Zealand. The ShelterBox operations team is currently speaking to other agencies to see how we can be of most assistance to the recovery operation and stands ready to quickly act to deliver prepositioned emergency materials we have available in the region.
The ShelterBox USA site.
http://www.shelterboxusa.org
The donation site can take small amounts of donations to add up to one box. The ShelterBox takes 1,000 to get a shelter for ten people with additional help by sending teams to assess the humanitarian needs. ShelterBox is oten first on the scene to provide shelter for other aid agencies.
DONATE HERE!!
http://shelterboxusa.org/...
The Daily Kos is also about community involvement. Here is where we show our true colors.
I don't keep up with things like I used to given that I care for my toddler granddaughter. My computer is usually on baby duty during therapy.
From Alen Monroe at ShelterBoxUSA.
The operations team has provided a comprehensive action plan of the variety of sources they are obtaining information from prior to the team arriving. We have a team en route who has already begun liaising with officials and contacts on the ground. They are due in country soon. In the event our unique solution is required, we have prepositioned stock in multiple locations nearby.
12:06 PM PT: http://shelterboxusa.org/...
With reports of 90% of homes damaged and many of Vanuatu's 260,000 population said to be homeless, ShelterBox has a team en route and is already working with partners on the ground to assist families in need.
ShelterBox is sending 1,000 shelter kits from prepositioned stock located nearby to help repair damaged buildings.
ShelterBox operational manager Alf Evans said: "Our initial response will see the 1,000 shelter kits deployed from Subang and distributed with CARE International.
"Once we have ShelterBox response team members on the ground we will be aiming to make further contributions to partnership work on shelter and repair."
2:18 PM PT: Slide show of devastation from the Globe and Mail!
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/...