Disaster READY Annual Report 2022-23 Vanuatu
This report covers Disaster READY’s achievements and challenges in Vanuatu in the first year of the program’s second five-year phase.
The 2021 World Risk Index lists Vanuatu as the country with the highest disaster risk in the world. Communities in Vanuatu are at risk of volcanic eruptions, cyclones, and earthquakes, as well as drought and flooding. With a population of more than 307,000 people, Vanuatu spans more than 80 islands, most of them vulnerable to climate change-induced hazards such as sea-level rise, coastal erosion, and storm surges. Cyclones and storms across the region are predicted to become more intense in a warming climate.
In February and March 2023, Vanuatu was impacted by twin tropical cyclones (TC) Judy and Kevin. While this did cause partners to pause some of their Disaster READY activities, it also led to an Australian Humanitarian Partnership (AHP) response that leveraged the community and government partnerships developed through the program. This report outlines some key examples of how partners leveraged their preparedness work through Disaster READY to improve the responses.