TC Harold and COVID-19 Vanuatu 2020 A Rapid & Practical

COVID-19 Vanuatu 2020 A Rapid & Practical Response 15 Feb - 9 Apr 2020

TC Harold and COVID-19 Vanuatu 2020A Rapid & PracticalResponse15 Feb - 15 Apr 2020

80% of homes in Luganville sustained serious damage


Introduction

One remote pacifi c country,two compounding disasters.

The Vanuatu Business Resilience Council (VBRC) was quick to react to the threats presented by the COVID-19 situation. Long before a global pandemic was announced in March, the team had already released guides to support the health of the people of Vanuatu and Business Continuity Planning in order to ensure that the economic disaster is as contained as possible.

This document provides an overview of VCCI and VBRC actions during the period of mid Feb to mid April 2020.

While borders closed and economic effects intensifi ed, on the night of 5th of April a Category 5 Cyclone struck Vanuatu. Affecting over 6 islands and 140,000 people, the cyclone destroyed power and water systems, communications and homes. Assessment on loss of lives has not fully been completed. This second disaster, at a time when the country was feeling the economic effects of the global COVID-19 situation has severely challenged the nation.

Given the COVID-19 situation and the current decisions around external aid being restricted, we will need to scale dramatically to provide this logistical support to deliver the aid that other actors normally would. We need fi nancial resource to deliver, organise logistics and measure impacts.

Page 3


What we are working on now

Humanitarian support from offshore will be limited so the private sector will need to be heavily supportive and involved in the NDMO response in terms of logistics, delivery and assessments.

The assets in terms of boats, vehicles, helicopters, planes and so on that are vital to respond to the needs of the affected population are privately owned and are either already engaged or stand ready to be invited to support via the NDMO.

Department of Water Resources & Vanuatu Agricultural Supplies rapid water repairs underway

Private sector support food inventoriesTransport & logistics delivered via private sector

Distribution of food products begins

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VBRC On the Front Lines of TC Harold Response

A Local climate consultant and VBRC executive member undertook detailed technical damage assessments in 14 of the worst hit villages on West Coast Santo in the hours and days after the cyclone. Traveling by foot and on small boats where available, he worked with local business owners and shop keepers to quantify the loss of cargo and materials, e.g. the destroyed Turihene Cooperative in Wusi Village on West Coast Santo, which lost over 160,000VT worth of rice, fl our and staple biscuit crackers. He also prepared business-focused emergency response recommendations and actions for National Disaster Management Offi ce , including advice on how to access remote settlements with pontoon/sea transport and provide recommendations to NDMO on logistics of immediate response items required. With this input VBRC has been able to calculating the available non-food products (NFI’s) for immediate sale from affected areas (e.g. damaged Kava and Sandalwood) and facilitated private sector engagement to assist in getting this product to market.

Damaged crops

Destroyed homes

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Th rough the rapid assessment and with

messages relayed by satellite communications,

NDMO was advised of severe injuries

aft er cyclone and able to organise the rapid

response which included for example in one

case helicopter evacuation for 2 children

under 10 yrs old with broken legs aft er a

house had collapsed.

Direct support was to local Area Council

on West Coast Santo to prepare short term

recovery plans in a participatory way with

each one of the aff ected villages, using and

prioritizing local knowledge and locally

resources so as not to depend on external

relief (which may have otherwise taken

longer to assemble and relay).

Dr Christopher Bartleett undertaking rapid assessment

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Early Evaluation Private Sector

The private sector was fi rst on the ground in the main effected areas. In Santo many of the vital services such as water and electricity are privately owned and as such the teams were instantly engaged in business continuity and disaster recovery efforts as they were already there. Communications companies Vodafone and Digicel were prepared before the cyclone and immediately put into effect their recovery program.

The VBRC advance team who undertook an aerial survey, met with the power company and facilitated the orders of equipment required. We undertook a marine survey of the domestic shipping vessels to compile what ships were still inoperable for distribution of aid. We also undertook a survey of the airfi eld and runway and reported this back to aviation authorities.

A VBRC executive member is staying in the fi eld doing the west coast of Santo assessment of coastal villages with a Satellite phone.

20% domestic shipping fl eet damaged

LOS School Aore Island

Privately owned VUI power network seriously damaged

Secondary School Luganville

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Very early assessments indicate there are up to 140,000 effected people. Complexities in this situation include our geographical spread. The affected population are widely spread and over at least 6 islands. The principal town in this area was also in the cyclone zone and signifi cantly damaged meaning vesicles that were in that area and could be used to reach the outlying islands were sunk and concerns were grave for airports, wharves and necessary infrastructure.

The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations. Data sources: Vanuatu 2016 mini census, NOAA, Kinetic Analysis Corporation (TAOS) accessed via Pacific Disaster Center’s DisasterAWARE® (https://emops.pdc.org) Technical support: WFP, OCHA Feedback: [email protected] *Pre-existing vulnerability is estimated using a household structural indicator from the 2016 mini-census ¹Forecasts and wind damage estimates based on JTWC advisory 10, issued at 03:00 UTC, 5 Apr

VANUATUEstimated exposure and vulnerability to Cyclone HaroldAs of 5 April 2020

400 8,700

Malampa

38,700

38,700

Sanma

38,800

20,100

Penama

14,500

4,800

Shefa

15,900

13,000

TOTAL

108,000

76,700

TorbaProvince

SanmaProvince

PenamaProvince

MalampaProvince

ShefaProvince

Port Villa

Cyclone Harold

Estimated Wind Impact¹TAOS Model

Catastrophic damage

Severe damage

Widespread damage

Moderate damage

Minor damage

Trees down

Branches breaking

Large trees sway

Small trees sway

5,700 1,800 800

Number of people living in affected areas(exposed to moderate damage and above)

Number of people living in the worst affected areas

(exposed to widespread damage and above)

Number of people living in the worst affected areas with

pre-existing vulnerability*

Total Children (0-14)in worst affected areas

20,200

Total Adults inworst affected areas

52,400

Total Elderly (65+) in worst affected areas

4,100

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Catastrophic Storm Hits Islands

Cyclone Harold made landfall in the northern islands on the 5th and 6th of April. With winds as strong as 250km per hour, the cyclone tore a path across several islands including Santo, Malo, Aore, Northern Malekula, Ambae and Pentecost, creating a belt of destruction across the country’s middle.

In Santo, many of the vital services such as water and electricity are privately owned and as such, the teams were instantly engaged in business continuity and disaster recovery efforts. The Port Vila based business community had already put in place a cluster system with representatives for food, health, water and so on effectively connected to the Government National Disaster Management Offi ce. Daily updates are being communicated and once initial NDMO plans are in place, these will be supported by the private sector.

5thApril

6thApril

Most housing destroyed

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Preparation Prior to Storm

Given the intensity of the forecasted storm and lessons learned from Cyclone Pam that made landfall in Efate and the south in 2015, VBRC and the Chamber was quick to release Cyclone Preparedness Checklists for Business and provide

practical advice on reediness in all three core languages.

Cluster system was already engaged due to the COVID-19 situation. All clusters now prepared for tropical storm Harold. This included:

a. Food inventories zeroed in on potentially affected area and more detailed data prepared. Food preservation guidelines provided

b. Logistics cluster prepared private vesicles to fuel up and standby for immediate readiness to respond – especial planes/helicopters

c. Communications cluster engaged local support companies and readied

inventories required to repair communications networks

d. Meetings intensifi ed with Government Partners for readiness and rapid response plans put in place

e. International enquiries being received on how best to support the pending situation – NDMO to lead on international response and issue directives to the international aid community.

Jeklis blong mekem rere bisnis long taem blong saeklon Sapose yu lukaotem gud bisnis mo propeti blong yu long taem blong saeklon mo ol difren nogud weta, bambae yu save operetem bisnis blong yu bakeken afta long wan event. Emia nao samfala samting we yu save mekem blo lukaotem gud bisnis blong yu long taem blong wan saeklon:

KOMINIKESEN BLONG OL WOKMAN

Printimaot kontak lis blo ol wokman mo serem wetem ol ki wokman. Mekemsua se I gat ol fon namba, imel adres mo ol releven ples we everi wokman ia I stap long hem sapose yu nidim blong sapotem olgeta long saed blong transpot afta long wan saeklon.

Jusum kontak blong wan wokman we I save tekem lid – igud blong jusum wan we i pat blong bisnis disisen meking proses, from ol wokman mo kastoma oli save kasem hem bifo o afta long saeklon. Hemia I mekem se ol wokman I filim se oli sef mo bambae wokman ia we I tekem lid bambae I save kasem ol wokman afta long saeklon blo talemaot ol apdet from wokples mo wataem bambae oli kambak long wok.

Mekemsua se ki wokman insaed long bisnis igat inaf fon kredit bifo saeklon blong gat kontak wetem ol wokman mo jekem olgeta.

KOMINIKESEN BLONG OL KASTOMA

Printimaot kontak lis blong ol top o ki kastoma we I gat releven kontaks mo kipim wetem manejmen sapose oli nidim blong kontaktem ol kastoma.

Talemaot long ol kastoma tru long wan,”NOTIS” long entrens we I tokabaot taem blong klos mo taem we bambae bisnis I open bakeken

Bukum taem blo ol miting bakeken mo talemaot ol jenses iko from ol oda mo dilivari long ol kastoma

3rdApril

Tropical Cyclone Harold – Category 5

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Focus Shifts to Relief

Following the announcement of the Vanuatu Government’s Economic & Financial Stimulus Package, VCCI partnered with the Department

of Finance to deliver support to Employers and Employees on in three core areas:

1. Tax Relief

2. Employment Stabilisation Payment

3. Business Support Program (business license refund and one-off payment)

While fi nancial means are now being put in place for payments by the Vanuatu Government, VCCI is releasing information about the package tobusinesses and is establishing a hotline for supporting Employees and Employers. Documentation is prepared in English, French, Bislama and Chinese.

31stMarch

Partnership with Business LinkPacifi c – providing up to 100%subsidies to local businesses

The COVID-19 Subsidy covers up to 100% of services through BLP approved advisors focusing on services that support business continuity, contingency planning and access to available fi nancial packages. Refi nancing and renegotiating loans and new working setups, such as IT systems, access to communications platforms and cloud-based software. The subsidy package will cover services for up to NZD 5,000 per SME and further support will be considered on a case-by-case approach.

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Invitation to Support Government

Led by trainer Irene Titek, the Vanuatu Business Resilience Council (VBRC) was invited by the Public Service

Commission to provide business continuity planning training to senior government offi cials and heads of departments. These tools and processes were quickly adopted by the Vanuatu Government for their business continuity plans.

25thMarch

Economic Affects Intensify

While initial efforts focused on COVID-19 preparedness and business and health measures, as the situation intensifi ed, it became apparent that the effect on the economy of Vanuatu would be signifi cant. Given that up to 40% of GDP is generated from tourism, the closing of the boarders on 20th of March was an important health measure but also a dramatic blow to the business community. At that stage, liaison with Government increased and discussion moved to one of fi nding appropriate ways to support the Government with relief response. Key economic advisors were made available to support the Government with necessary decisions.

VCCI initiated a business owner’s survey to gather vital data on affect to businesses. Initial responses indicated that even early on, up to

40% of businesses surveyed were closed or closing and 30% had already made staff redundant. This data was shared appropriately to support Government decision making.

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Key Initial Findings Include

61% of respondents are Extremely Worried about the affect of COVID-19 ontheir Business

Approx. 40% of respondents have now closed their business or are soonto do so

Approx. 30% of respondents have made staff redundant already

77% of respondents have already put staff on reduced hours

Approx. 90% of respondents wish to see affected staff having access toVNPF funds

25thMarch

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Activated Cluster System For Co-Ordinated Response

VBRC Activated cluster system to ensure each of the key areas had a focal representative from the private sector to meet as required with Government and NGO’s.

Implemented specifi c communications protocols to be able to rapidly share information within groups as required by the situation with electronic reporting to shared Google Drive, dedicated WhatsApp groups and Zoom interactive meeting tools for online meeting access.

17thMarch

CCDRR / Business Advisory Services

Banking and Finance

Other Sectors / Industries

Donor / Development Partner

(GGGI, UNDP, GIZ)

Civil SocietyVanuatu ClimateAction Network

Transport / Shipping and Logistics

Construction / Infrastructure

Food Securityand Agriculture Tourism

VCCIGovernment

Ministry of Climate Change

Telecommunications / ICT

Executive Committee(Cluster/Sector Specifi c)

Successful Communications

Local communications company Pandanus Consulting Ltd provided a co-funded solution with both their own funding and support from Business Link Pacifi c to enable the Chamber to access increased and professional communications services.

The focus has been on achieving effective communication with Employers and Employees and included segmenting the audience and appropriately addressing communications in English, Bislama and French. Increasing social media presence was a very effective means to communicate with more people in a quick and responsive way. This has improved the role of the Chamber as it is now seen as providing timely, important and clear information. Short videos were developed to provide explanations or examples to complex economic matters, in a simple way that could be understood by everyone including those with less literacy.

20thMarch

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Business Continuity Workshops Supporting Businesses

The teams have provided training to businesses in four provinces during 2019 and have supported over 200 businesses with Business Continuity Planning. These workshops took place in Port Vila. Lenekal, Lakatoro and Luganville.

The workshops were quickly adapted to the COVID-19 situation and additional courses for businesses were held.

Delivery of workshop was made possible by the fi nancial support of

Port Vila

Sola,Banks

Islands

Santo Northern

Island

10thMarch

12thMarch

17thMarch

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Additional activities you can undertake to prepare your business

Consider the Health

Personal Hygiene

Workplace hygiene

Money matters

Communications – get your messages ready

VBRC |

DO NOT PANICWe advise to take a “hoping for the best, planning for the worst” approach to planning for

email [email protected]

Guide on Business Preparedness Planning

for COVID-19

Tips for employees

Keep healthy

Personal and home hygiene

Food security

Cash

Medication

VBRC |

DO NOT PANICWe advise to take a “hoping for the best, planning for the worst” approach to

VBRC |

Ol narafala aksen we yu save mekem blo mekem rere bisnis

Helt mo sefti blong ol wokman emi impoten

Ol samting blo mekem blong yu wan yu stap kiln oltaem

Ol samting blo mekem long wok blong emi stap klin oltaem

Toktok wetem ol wokman blong yu long posibiliti se bae save kasem wan taem we oli save wok nomo lo haus/ taem blong wok bae emi smol nomo

Mani emi impoten

YU SHUD NO FRAET

Ol samting blong save we emi save helpem ol wokman

Stap helti oltaem

Lukaotem gud yu wan mo haus blong yu

Ol samting blong usum blo klinim mo kilim bebet blo sik emi sas mo emi save

Security blong kakai

Mane

Ol meresin blong sik

VBRC |

YU SHUD NO FRAET

Business Preparedness PlanHow to guide

CHECKLISTS

Kaed Blong Mekem Rere Wan Bisnis

JEKLISS

Business Preparedness Plan

Mekem Rere Bisnis Plan

WWW.VBRC.VU

WWW.VBRC.VU

Resources Supporting Business

28thFeb

Core guides were released in English and Bislama. These documents included Business Continuity Guides tailored to the COVID-19 situation, Health Guides for employers explaining how to keep the workplace and employees safe and healthy and Business Planning checklists. These were extremely well received and widely used in the business community.

Documents

TC Harold and COVID-19 Vanuatu 2020 A Rapid & Practical