Vanuatu earthquake

Above: Women I Tok Tok Tugeta members with the support of ActionAid provided food supplies to affected communities in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake. Photo: ActionAid Vanuatu

At 12:47pm local time on Tuesday 17 December 2024, an earthquake of 7.2-magnitude earthquake at a depth of 54 kilometres occurred around 30km off the coast of Port Vila, Vanuatu.

Aftershocks, and a further 5.5 magnitude earthquake, were reported by Geosciences Australia and media. The initial earthquake triggered a number of landslides and building collapses across Port Vila, impacting critical infrastructure including Ifira Port.  

The disaster resulted in at least 14 fatalities, while infrastructure damage displaced more than 2,000 people. More than 20,000 people were left without access to clean water, and widespread power outages continued to disrupt daily life. Many businesses in Port Vila were forced to close and have been told it may be up to six months before they can open again, crippling the economy and jeopardising livelihoods. Informal workers and small business owners, heavily reliant on the tourism industry and daily income, faced prolonged hardship in the months following the earthquake.

The earthquake left communities in desperate need of support to address both immediate needs such as shelter, food, water, and medical care and longer-term recovery, including trauma counselling, restoring livelihoods, and rebuilding critical infrastructure.

The Australian Government released AUD 1.5 million for a 12-month activation of the Australian Humanitarian Partnership to support early response and recovery activities for basic needs, WASH, education and protection.

The AHP Response

Building on the well-established ways of working within the Vanuatu Disaster READY Country Committee, partners produced a collaborative proposal for response. World Vision, ActionAid and Save the Children are working across Efate and surrounding islands, focusing on improved water access, psychosocial support, educational access and sustainable livelihoods.

Response activities include: water supply distribution to households along with dignity kits and water storage items; rehabilitation of damaged water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in schools and health centres; psychosocial first aid for affected communities and school students; repair and rehabilitation of earthquake-damaged schools; replacement of learning materials and classroom supplies; emergency food supply; seeds, tools and training to restore kitchen gardens; grants for community groups; and re-greening activities for areas prone to landslides.