A tiny island nation in the Pacific is struggling to recover after a powerful earthquake killed at least nine people and injured hundreds. Communications aren’t fully restored, power remains unstable, and essential services are overwhelmed. KPRG's Naina Rao takes us into the heart of the crisis.
HOST/MIA PEREZ: A tiny island nation in the Pacific is struggling to recover after a powerful earthquake killed at least nine people and injured hundreds. Communications aren’t fully restored, power remains unstable, and essential services are overwhelmed. K-P-R-G’s Naina Rao takes us into the heart of the crisis.
NAINA RAO: It was a regular, sunny Tuesday afternoon at a waterfront cafe in Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu. It’s the most populated city in the archipelago nation, off the coast of Australia. When suddenly, powerful tremors threw people to the ground, dishes and glassware shattering as they fell, and furniture swaying violently.
<<AMBIENT SOUND OF NAMBAWAN CAFE AS EARTHQUAKE HITS>>
RAO: This video of the 7.3 magnitude earthquake was sent to me by the cafe owner. The quake struck off the coast of Port Vila, leaving a trail of destruction… collapsing buildings and cutting off water and power to thousands. Its impact was felt beyond Vanuatu’s largest city. About 36 miles away, retired Australian teacher Jo-Anne Kafer describes the terrifying moment.
JO-ANNE KAFER: I was inside the house when the house started to jump. The rumbling came first. The noise was intense. The whole house just shook. And then I thought, I need to get under the table.
RAO: Kafer and her husband are safe, and her home didn’t sustain any damage. But continual aftershocks and demolished roads have made it scary for her to leave the house. Back in the capital, Dr. Basil Leodoro says the situation is dire. He’s the director of operations for the humanitarian vessel, Helper One, which currently has a shore team based in Port Vila.
BASIL LEODORO: The amount of damage in Port Vila is staggering. We've never seen that kind of damage. We’ve never had to mount this kind of response before.
RAO: Leodoro is from Vanuatu, where earthquakes, and extreme weather events, are nothing new. The island nation is located on the seismically active ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’, which often leads to strong earthquakes. The U.N. deemed the country most vulnerable to natural disasters. This time, collapsed infrastructure is hindering recovery. Leodoro says power outages are complicating life-saving efforts.
LEODORO: Not only is re-establishing power dangerous for rescue efforts because of live wires, but we're also very concerned with power outages because of the electrical tools that are needed to rescue, who are crushed under the rubble.
RAO: The other issue is connectivity. Telecommunications have not been fully restored, making rescue coordination efforts challenging for him.
LEODORO: I am only able to speak to you because we have Starlink that we use on board. And, in fact, we have activated our mobile Emergency Operations Center on board so that we can communicate with response teams.
RAO: But not everyone has access to it. That’s why Finau Leveni with the International Federation for Red Cross Pacific, says preparedness is key while awaiting clearer communication from Vanuatu.
FINAU LEVENI: We're doing a lot of coordination with our partners. For example, we know that two huge reservoirs have been damaged, which means likely that there will be no access to water. So we're looking at making sure that we've got emergency water health and sanitation expertise on standby.
RAO: Meanwhile, Ivan Oswald, the owner of Nambawan cafe from earlier, is stepping up for his community. His solar-powered, Starlink-activated cafe is open for residents to use for free.
IVAN OSWALD: So the emergency services have been using that, and I've put up a power board down there so they can plug their phones in. I mean, how could I not? I'm not doing it for any promotional reasons, just if people need it, especially emergency services down there, and if people can use it and call their friends and family and loved ones, that's the most important thing.
RAO: A resilient spirit Oswald says will help the small island nation rise once again. For KPRG News, I'm Naina Rao.
