tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/cyclone-pam-100-days-on-17899/articlesCyclone Pam 100 days on – The Conversation2015-06-19T02:20:06Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/421842015-06-19T02:20:06Z2015-06-19T02:20:06ZPlanning ahead to reduce feast and famine after natural disasters<p>Since <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-13/flooding-destructive-winds-as-cyclone-pam-bears-down-on-vanuatu/6316590">Cyclone Pam tore through Vanuatu</a> almost 100 days ago, food has been scarce for many rural people in Vanuatu. </p>
<p>Those in the worst-affected areas have been living on food gleaned from damaged gardens and coconuts, as well as imported rice and other foods distributed by the Vanuatu National Disaster Management Office. Many non-government organisations, including Oxfam, Save the Children, Uniting World and others, have also been involved in cyclone recovery.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/85145/original/image-20150616-5810-1a3t2ea.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/85145/original/image-20150616-5810-1a3t2ea.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/85145/original/image-20150616-5810-1a3t2ea.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85145/original/image-20150616-5810-1a3t2ea.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85145/original/image-20150616-5810-1a3t2ea.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85145/original/image-20150616-5810-1a3t2ea.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85145/original/image-20150616-5810-1a3t2ea.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85145/original/image-20150616-5810-1a3t2ea.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Port Vila’s fresh food market, where yams were still selling for twice their usual price earlier this month.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mike Constable</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
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<p>By early June, faster-maturing food crops, particularly green leafy vegetables, were being sold in larger quantities again in the Port Vila fresh food market. </p>
<p>However, the slower-growing staple food crops – including yam, taro, banana and sweet potato – were still in limited supply, with prices higher than before Cyclone Pam.</p>
<p>Fortunately, rural people across Vanuatu have greater security of food supply than they did in the past.</p>
<p>Here we examine the issues of food security in Vanuatu since Cyclone Pam, as well as patterns of food shortages that have emerged from other recent Pacific emergencies. By learning from these past emergencies, the region’s most vulnerable communities could be better positioned for the future with both pre- and post-disaster planning.</p>
<h2>Recurring food gluts and shortages</h2>
<p>A number of phases for food supply can typically be distinguished following a major natural disturbance, such as a cyclone or a flood. This pattern has <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-13/cyclone-pam-thousands-still-without-food-water-one-month-vanuatu/6389450">largely been observed</a> in post-Cyclone Pam Vanuatu. </p>
<p>At first, there is a glut of food when crops are damaged, but the tuberous roots or fruit are still edible. This phase can last for several weeks. Then relief may be provided, for some people at least, by government or non-government agencies.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/85178/original/image-20150616-5854-rmffyd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/85178/original/image-20150616-5854-rmffyd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/85178/original/image-20150616-5854-rmffyd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85178/original/image-20150616-5854-rmffyd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85178/original/image-20150616-5854-rmffyd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85178/original/image-20150616-5854-rmffyd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85178/original/image-20150616-5854-rmffyd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85178/original/image-20150616-5854-rmffyd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Banana trees blown over on Ipota, Vanuatu, after Cyclone Pam.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69583224@N05/16835624926/in/photolist-rDGYKh-qHvcRx-rnQEEH-rnJh3j-rnJjVf-r2Q9yK-rGb9pV-rG39WS-rEivSF-qH121d-qHerMv-rDTDKh-rBHhu7-rnqy4U-qHemUz-rDULPq-rDVUBg-sdHnwb-sg3GnJ-r2CqJ5-rWkky3-rG4qpL-rG38Ff-r2QaVn-rEiuzF-rGbbGF-r2CpRo-rWkkzA-rYykQ2-rWkmnC-rGbbkZ-r2Q9Bv-r2QaKn-rYCDDe-r2Coqh-r2Cqcd-rYCD9r-r2Cp65-r2Q9HT-rYv7Sf-r2CoVf-rG39Z7-rWkjNq-rG4q1Q-rGb9Kp-rG39eu-rGbaCM-rG39vG-rEivQ6-rGb8Sn">Flicker/EC/ECHO</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
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<p>In many developing countries, food relief is typically patchy, the timing is not always appropriate and the supply does not last as long as the food shortage. Commonly, a critical gap occurs between the end of relief supplies and the start of harvests from new plantings following the disaster.</p>
<p>Finally, subsistence food production is resumed. This starts with fast-maturing green vegetables, maize (also known as corn) and sweet potato, and then slower-maturing crops, such as taro, yam and banana.</p>
<p>Following an extreme natural event that disrupts food supply, it is common for government officers or outsiders to assess the food supply situation. </p>
<p>Over the decades, we have observed that the impact of more spectacular events, such as landslides, local floods, mild drought or frosts, tends to be overestimated in those assessments. </p>
<p>In contrast, the impact of other, less visible events is ignored or underestimated. In particular, these events include inadequate planting rates that result in food shortages, or excessively high rainfall that leads to good top growth in some root crops but reduced tuber yield.</p>
<h2>Improving food security in rural Vanuatu</h2>
<p>The locations most vulnerable to <a href="http://www.meteo.gov.vu/TropicalCyclone/tabid/169/Default.aspx">cyclones in Vanuatu</a> are low-lying islands near the path of a cyclone, particularly those that are remote or distant from urban centres, with small populations and poor communications. Islands such as Emau, Tongoa, Tongariki, Mataso and Aniwa appear to have suffered disproportionately from Cyclone Pam.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/84978/original/image-20150615-1962-8zvqow.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/84978/original/image-20150615-1962-8zvqow.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/84978/original/image-20150615-1962-8zvqow.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1109&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/84978/original/image-20150615-1962-8zvqow.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1109&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/84978/original/image-20150615-1962-8zvqow.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1109&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/84978/original/image-20150615-1962-8zvqow.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1393&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/84978/original/image-20150615-1962-8zvqow.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1393&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/84978/original/image-20150615-1962-8zvqow.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1393&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The islands of Vanuatu.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vanuatu_Regions_map.png">Wikimedia Commons/Burmesedays, Eric Gaba, ru Wikipedia user Переход Артур</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
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<p>Three out of four people in rural Vanuatu live in rural settlements, a situation similar to that of other countries in the Southwest Pacific. Villagers grow most of their own food, with 70-85% of energy foods coming from their subsistence food gardens. The most important energy foods for rural Vanuatu are taro, banana, yam, cassava and “Fiji” (Xanthosoma) taro.</p>
<p>In the past when garden food was scarce, for whatever reason, people ate coconuts, “wild yam”, breadfruit (stored in pits in the northern islands), fish and various edible green leaves. In many communities, dependence on some of these traditional coping mechanisms appears to have been reduced or lost altogether in recent decades. For example, fewer people now store breadfruit after harvest and not so many people manage “wild” yams. </p>
<p>Despite this, rural people across much of the Pacific have greater food security than they did in the past. This improved security comes firstly from crops introduced by Europeans and other Pacific Island people over the past 200 years, including cassava, “Fiji” taro, sweet potato, maize, African yam, pumpkin and a number of types of green vegetable. Some of the newly adopted food crops are more tolerant of extreme conditions, particularly cassava, while others mature within a few months when planted after a disaster, particularly maize and sweet potato.</p>
<p>The other major factor in increased food security is the availability of cash, which can be used to purchase imported food, particularly rice, or locally grown foods when subsistence food supplies are scarce.</p>
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<h2>Learning from past disasters to help in future</h2>
<p>A number of lessons can be gleaned from subsistence food shortages elsewhere in the Asia Pacific area. </p>
<p>Food intended for rural villagers may not be moved far beyond the capital city or provincial capital; even when it does get moved to rural areas, distribution is commonly very uneven and does not always reach those in greatest need. </p>
<p>Planting material is often distributed with the best of intentions, but is sometimes not appropriate to local conditions, such as crops with low nutritional value like cucumber or cabbage. The most appropriate planting material to distribute following a disruption to rural food supplies is that of fast-growing crops of high nutritional value, particularly maize and sweet potato.</p>
<p>In 1997, <a href="http://aciar.gov.au/files/node/306/0002pr99chapter2.pdf">Papua New Guinea experienced</a> a major El Nino-related drought with accompanying frosts, the most severe of these events in 130 years of recorded history. This resulted in over 40% of rural villagers being short of subsistence food and a significant increase in the death rate in a number of locations. </p>
<p>The common element in those locations was that people had very limited access to cash income to purchase alternative foods; there was no road access; and people had limited capacity to influence authorities to provide aid, because of isolation and lack of formal education.</p>
<p>It is not possible to predict the impact of any natural catastrophe with complete confidence. Nevertheless there are some recurring patterns. The most vulnerable communities live in remote locations, with poor road, river or sea access to urban centres; and the populations at these locations are typically small, with few educated members in positions of power. </p>
<p>Rising sea levels and more extreme climatic events associated with climate change, including more frequent drought, excessive rainfall events and stronger cyclones, are very likely to <a href="http://www.ifad.org/events/apr09/impact/islands.pdf">challenge food supply in our region</a> in coming decades. These threats can be reduced by improving the capacity of authorities to identify the most vulnerable communities, improving communications, ensuring appropriate and timely responses, and maintaining or building on traditional coping strategies.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>This article was co-written with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/michael-constable/61/58/ab?trk=pub-pbmap">Mike Constable</a>, a long-time aid and development worker who has recently been in Vanuatu as part of <a href="http://www.unitingworld.org.au/">Uniting World</a>’s relief effort. He has previously worked for AusAID.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/42184/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mike Bourke receives funding from Australian government organisations to conduct research and development work in Pacific Island countries. This article was co-written with Mike Constable, a long-time aid and development worker who has recently been in Vanuatu as part of Uniting World's relief effort. Mike Constable has previously worked for AusAID.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chris Ballard received funding from UNESCO to assist in the assessment and repair of damage from Cyclone Pam to the Chief Roi Mata's Domain World Heritage site in Efate, Vanuatu.</span></em></p>Food has been scarce for many rural people in Vanuatu since Cyclone Pam – but overall, they now have greater security of food supply than they did in the past.Richard Michael Bourke, Visiting Fellow, Australian National UniversityChris Ballard, Associate Professor in Pacific History, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/421812015-06-18T01:50:23Z2015-06-18T01:50:23ZRebuilding a safer and stronger Vanuatu after Cyclone Pam<p>Three months ago <a href="http://reliefweb.int/report/vanuatu/severe-tropical-cyclone-pam-post-disaster-needs-assessment">Cyclone Pam swept across Vanuatu</a>, leaving 75,000 people in need of emergency shelter and damaging or destroying about 15,000 buildings, including homes, schools and medical facilities.</p>
<p>Since then, one of the most hotly debated questions within communities and on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/yumitoktok/permalink/970825039619129/">social media</a> has been about how Vanuatu can rebuild so that it’s safer, stronger and more resilient to future cyclones.</p>
<p>Achieving this is not as simple as you might think. The strength and safety of buildings is critical – especially when you are rebuilding in a cyclone-prone region. But housing in particular is about more than walls and roofs; it’s also about community, traditions, culture and supporting the way people want to live.</p>
<p>One of the risks after a natural disaster like Cyclone Pam is that the dominant housing reconstruction mentality tends to prioritise strength and engineering solutions above all else. After <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-01/cyclone-tracy-before-and-after/5907246">Cyclone Tracy</a> hit the city of Darwin in northern Australia in 1974, the immediate reconstruction reaction was characterised by the “concrete bunker” that was driven by <a href="http://ntlapp.nt.gov.au/tracy/advanced/Reconstruction.html">draconian post-Cylone Tracy building codes</a>. </p>
<p>In Vanuatu’s case, this kind of reaction could result in a shift away from the use of <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-01/explainer3a-why-was-the-vanuatu-death-toll-from-cyclone-pam-so/6363970">lightweight local materials</a> to heavier materials such as concrete. That potentially creates a higher risk of personal injury due to collapse if not properly constructed.</p>
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<span class="caption">This village home in Vanuatu shows how concrete blocks are sometimes placed on roofs to hold them down in high wind, creating potentially deadly hazards. Education programs can share safer ways to tie down roofs.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wendy Christie</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>Another common post-disaster solution is the <a href="http://architectureau.com/articles/sending-out-an-sos/">prefabricated building</a>. These buildings are quick to construct but their use as a solution to housing can be problematic if they do not properly respond to the specific cultural context or the environment. Prefabricated buildings rarely allow for traditions related to the design and construction process, which are often an important part of cultural identity.</p>
<h2>Lessons from what was left standing</h2>
<p>Buildings in Vanuatu come in a wide range of forms, sizes and materials, and are built and maintained to various standards of durability and quality. What was left standing in the wake of Cyclone Pam provides a number of important clues about how to rebuild better than before.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-17/cyclone-pam-before-after/6325222">Before and after satellite images</a> show that Cyclone Pam left behind widespread destruction of all building types: tin roofs were blown away, timber framed walls collapsed, thatch was stripped from rafters, and even masonry walls crumbled.</p>
<p>But other buildings made from those same materials were relatively unaffected. This shows that buildings are more than the sum of their material parts: the way they have been put together is also crucial. </p>
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<span class="caption">The islands of Vanuatu.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vanuatu_Regions_map.png">Wikimedia Commons/Burmesedays, Eric Gaba, ru Wikipedia user Переход Артур</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
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<p>Finding a safe and appropriate reconstruction approach for Vanuatu will be complicated by a range of factors. These include limited funds, the dispersed geography of the archipelago, limited import regulations for building materials, the decimation of local building material supplies, and the necessity for immediate shelter, which has led to dwellings being quickly rebuilt from salvaged materials.</p>
<p>There are, however, a few basic strategies that could be employed that would lead to a safer built environment in Vanuatu, without having to drastically change the way people live. These solutions include improved building regulations, grassroots education programs aimed at strengthening existing dwellings, the continuation of constructing buildings from local materials, and the establishment of disaster evacuation centres in all communities.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.paclii.org/cgi-bin/sinodisp/vu/legis/num_act/ba201391/ba201391.html?stem=&synonyms=&query=building%20and%20code">Republic of Vanuatu Building Act of 2013</a>, which is an act to provide for a national building code, was passed last year. But to date no building code exists, and new buildings in Vanuatu are not required to be built to any kind of standard.</p>
<p>A new building code will be an important instrument to ensure that housing and public and commercial buildings are constructed to an appropriate standard. However, applying a building code to the majority of dwellings across Vanuatu will be problematic given the difficulty in regulation and the costs associated with building to a prescribed standard. </p>
<p>The new building code will need to ensure that it considers a diverse range of construction types, including traditional construction methods, and that it is accessible to the majority of people in Vanuatu.</p>
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<p>An effective way to strengthen existing dwellings would be through programs that focus on repairing and reinforcing dwellings made from both imported and local materials. This would need to be educative and provide real examples of how a few simple strategies can prevent major cyclone damage.</p>
<p>It will also be important to ensure that people are able to continue to build with local materials using <a href="http://www.samoanews.com/node/77839">traditional techniques</a>. </p>
<p>Local materials are generally more accessible and affordable for those living on remote islands and the skills required to build with them are passed down from generation to generation. These building skills are also an important part of <em>kastom</em> (culture) and are a significant part of local <a href="http://en.unesco.org/news/unesco-supports-recovery-vanuatu-s-culture-sector-following-tropical-cyclone-pam">cultural identity</a>.</p>
<h2>Life-saving meeting places</h2>
<p>One of the most important considerations will be the establishment of <a href="http://www.trust.org/item/20141001140022-jt1y3">disaster evacuation centres</a> in each community. These structures might include existing churches, school buildings or community halls that with adequate reinforcing will be able to withstand cyclonic winds.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/85447/original/image-20150617-23223-1x98018.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/85447/original/image-20150617-23223-1x98018.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/85447/original/image-20150617-23223-1x98018.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85447/original/image-20150617-23223-1x98018.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85447/original/image-20150617-23223-1x98018.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85447/original/image-20150617-23223-1x98018.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85447/original/image-20150617-23223-1x98018.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85447/original/image-20150617-23223-1x98018.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Tikilasoa Farea (or nakamal) on Nguna Island is designed as a cyclone shelter for the local community.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wendy Christie</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There are also several traditional <em>nakamals</em> (meeting places) that have been designed as cyclone shelters. The repair of these <a href="https://en.unesco.org/news/unesco-assessing-damage-cultural-resources-following-tropical-cyclone-pam-vanuatu"><em>nakamals</em></a>, as well as the ability of master builders to pass on their building skills, will be an essential part of disaster risk management for remote villages.</p>
<p>The damage caused by Cyclone Pam has drawn attention to the need for improved construction practices in Vanuatu. But while the strength of buildings and their ability to withstand cyclones is very important, so too is the strength and resilience of the people of Vanuatu, who have been living with the annual <a href="http://www.meteo.gov.vu/VanuatuClimate/tabid/196/Default.aspx">cyclone season</a> for generations.</p>
<p>The reconstruction of Vanuatu needs a diverse approach that is not solely reliant on quickly prefabricated or engineered solutions, and which keeps people at the heart of the rebuilding process.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/42181/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>One of the most hotly debated questions in Vanuatu has been about how communities can rebuild so that they are safer and more resilient to future cyclones. That’s not as simple as you might think.Wendy Christie, Architect, Philip Leeson Architects; PhD Student, Australian National UniversityBrigitte Laboukly, Manager, National Heritage Registry, Vanuatu Cultural CentreLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/404812015-06-17T20:21:05Z2015-06-17T20:21:05Z100 days since Cyclone Pam, people across Vanuatu pause to reflect on loss and resilience<p>This Sunday will mark 100 days since Cyclone Pam struck Vanuatu on March 13, with wind gusts of up to 320 km an hour leaving behind widespread damage.</p>
<p>In keeping with Indigenous practice, ceremonies will be held in villages across Vanuatu to mourn the 11 people who died in the cyclone. Gathering in churches and around gravestones over the weekend, people will reflect on their lost loved ones, damaged houses, ruined food gardens.</p>
<p>One hundred days later, Vanuatu is recovering. Islands left brown in the aftermath are green again. Immediately after the cyclone people began to rebuild. They treated the injured, repaired their houses and, where seeds were available, replanted gardens. </p>
<p>Villagers didn’t wait for donors or the government: they simply, pragmatically, began to rebuild. Perhaps not with the best materials, or in the safest ways, but people nevertheless began rebuilding. </p>
<p>These efforts have made “resilience” the catch-cry of government and humanitarian organisations alike. But some questions remain about the Vanuatu government’s resilience-based approach.</p>
<h2>Renegade aid and recovery</h2>
<p>One hundred days later, Vanuatu has moved from a country in crisis to a country rebuilding. This is in large part due to the capacity of local people and to the success of the post-cyclone aid intervention. </p>
<p>The efforts of the Vanuatu government’s National Disaster Management Office in coordinating the aid effort should also be praised, given the herculean nature of the logistical task of distributing aid to around 100,000 people across islands without airstrips, roads or functional telecommunications in the initial weeks.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/g5A7UlOEKGU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Watch the path of Cyclone Pam in mid-March 2015.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Relying on local resilience and banking on local food stocks, the Vanuatu government delayed the initial aid distribution by a week to 10 days to avoid creating a culture of donor dependency. But this approach assumes that remaining food stocks will reach those most vulnerable. The government’s decision to hold back aid went unchallenged by international humanitarian organisations engaged in the relief effort.</p>
<p>While large-scale humanitarian organisations were initially held back from delivering aid, locally-based “renegade aid” organisations stepped into the breach. This renegade aid movement was organised around the local privately funded ambulance services and included outreach provided by expatriate residents to communities on the main island of Efate. With few professional staff and small amounts of funding, these initial aid distributions appeared haphazard in nature, creating local confusion about distribution of food and water supplies.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/85146/original/image-20150616-5838-1r65g8i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/85146/original/image-20150616-5838-1r65g8i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/85146/original/image-20150616-5838-1r65g8i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85146/original/image-20150616-5838-1r65g8i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85146/original/image-20150616-5838-1r65g8i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85146/original/image-20150616-5838-1r65g8i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85146/original/image-20150616-5838-1r65g8i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85146/original/image-20150616-5838-1r65g8i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A cyclone-damaged home with a tarpaulin covering its roof.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Siobhan McDonnell</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
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<h2>Testing the limits of resilience</h2>
<p>Rhetoric around local resilience informs governments’ understanding of vulnerable populations during disaster recovery. Governments in Melanesia often insist there is no poverty because everyone has access to land, which provides people with a social safety net. Cultivation or food collection on customary land is indeed the basis of subsistence for the overwhelming population of the Pacific.</p>
<p>But an increasing number of people have limited access to land. On Efate Island, 56% of the coastline is leased, in many cases for tourist resorts and housing for foreigners. This large-scale leasing meant that food security was an issue for rural Efate communities after Cyclone Pam.</p>
<p>People in urban locales are usually the ones with least access to land. Across the Pacific, rapid urbanisation means that there are increasing numbers of people living in informal settlements who are particularly vulnerable to disasters. These people are already living a marginal existence, so when disaster hits they become acutely vulnerable. Their settlements are often located in disaster-prone areas, on the edge of rivers which flood.</p>
<p>Just two weeks after the cyclone hit, the Vanuatu government’s decision to evict thousands of people remaining in the 48 evacuation centres located across Vanuatu was based on the idea of resilience through family connections. Cultural understandings that everyone has family who can care for them need close consideration in the context of increasingly urbanised Pacific populations. Specific strategies need to be developed to deal with vulnerable urban groups in times of natural disaster.</p>
<p>Increasingly the Vanuatu government is understanding the limitations of resilience, that people are falling through the social safety net. On June 1, the Vanuatu government announced a new urban food security program aimed at providing seedlings and technical support for urban populations. Then Minister for Lands Ralph Regenvanu also announced that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>vacant state land can be used by community groups for food gardens and any people who do not have access to land in town can apply to the Department of Agriculture and we will allocate them land.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Improving access to garden land will help in the immediate recovery, but sustained planning and funding is needed to prepare seedlings and technical assistance ahead of future disasters.</p>
<h2>Looking ahead</h2>
<p>One hundred days offers a moment for reflection. Vanuatu is already one of the most <a href="http://maplecroft.com/portfolio/new-analysis/2015/03/04/56-100-cities-most-exposed-natural-hazards-found-key-economies-philippines-japan-china-bangladesh-verisk-maplecroft/">disaster-prone countries</a> on Earth. While the science on increasingly intense tropical cyclones around the world is complex, as these <a href="https://theconversation.com/factcheck-is-global-warming-intensifying-cyclones-in-the-pacific-38984">experts have warned</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>the future doesn’t look good for locations that are prone to natural disasters.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Resilience rhetoric can mask vulnerabilities. Let’s learn from Cyclone Pam so that future help can be as effective as possible.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/40481/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Siobhan McDonnell is a lawyer and an anthropologist who has been living, working and researching in Vanuatu for the last seven years. She was until last week the legal advisor to the former Vanuatu Minster of Lands, Ralph Regenvanu.</span></em></p>This Sunday marks 100 days since Cyclone Pam hit Vanuatu, with ceremonies in villages across the nation to mourn the 11 people who died. Meanwhile, islands left brown in the aftermath are green again.Siobhan McDonnell, PhD Candidate, School of Culture, History & Language, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.