Archived Newsroom • Press Release |
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ITU deploys emergency communication equipment in
Vanuatu
Bid to coordinate relief efforts in aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Pam
Geneva, 26 March 2015 – ITU deployed emergency
telecommunication equipment to Vanuatu following the devastation caused by
Cyclone Pam, a category 5 tropical storm which hit the archipelago on Friday, 13
March.
ITU dispatched 40 satellite phones, 10 Broadband Global Area Network
terminals and 35 solar panels to the Island nation to support relief
coordination efforts.
“The frequency and intensity of disasters is increasing worldwide with a
disproportionate impact on developing countries,” said ITU Secretary General
Houlin Zhao. “We are working with our partners to increase the capacity of
Member States to integrate ICTs in their disaster risk reduction policies. ITU
is also encouraging governments, especially those in developing countries, to
invest in telecommunication infrastructure that is resilient to disasters.”
“Severe Tropical Cyclone Pam, which hit Vanuatu with devastating force,
paralyzed telecommunications and affected rescue and rehabilitation efforts,”
said Mr Brahima Sanou, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau.
“ITU is committed to assisting Member States restore telecommunication links in
the aftermath of natural disasters to facilitate humanitarian response to
support the affected populations.”
Prime Minister of Vanuatu, Mr Joe Natuman, thanked ITU for the support,
noting that all 83 islands in Vanuatu suffered substantial devastation as a
result of Tropical Cyclone Pam.
“ICTs are critical in these hard times,” Mr Natuman said. “As communications
are down, the ITU emergency equipment, which we have received and distributed
throughout the country, will help us coordinate the relief efforts as well as
report the situation in outer islands.”
Cyclone Pam slammed into the Vanuatu archipelago, including its capital Port
Vila, on Efate Island. Winds are estimated to have reached 250 Km/h with gusts
peaking at around 320 Km/h, causing damage to the infrastructure, impacting
services such as electricity and leaving debris across the capital.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA), an estimated 90 per cent of structures have been damaged or destroyed in
Efate. More than 2000 people are sheltering in over 25 evacuation centres in
Efate, Torba and Penama.
Vanuatu has a population of 267,000 spread over 65 islands. About 47,000
people live in the capital.
ITU recently participated in the Third UN Conference on Disaster Risk
Reduction in Sendai, Japan. The Union has addressed the importance of linking
information and communication technologies to disaster risk reduction.
ITU considers emergency telecommunications an integral part of the post-2015
development agenda.
For more information, please contact:
Sanjay Acharya
Chief, Media Relations and Public Information
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Monica Albertini
Communication Officer, BDT
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