Cyclone Pam

5/11, 2:00 PM
Over the weekend, Peace Corps Vanuatu pulled all PCVs from site to bring them in to Vila, in anticipation of a potential Category 5 cyclone, named Pam, headed our way. Yesterday, they brought in all the trainees and Efate vols, and put us up at the Holiday Inn Resort.
We went to bed with the news that evacuation was unlikely as the storm was projected to pass between Vanuatu and Fiji, meaning the brunt of the storm would pass us by.
Jump to this morning, when we get the word that due to a shifting course in the storm, we were going to be evacuated to American Samoa in army planes. We all packed up our bags and loaded up on buses, only to be told that the evacuation plan had not been approved and we were all staying here for the moment. The current word is that they are looking into potential other evacuation plans. Peace Corps staff is having a meeting with select volunteers right now to give an update, and I will post when I know more!
Here's the current map from the Fiji Meteorological Service, showing the projected path of the storm as it stands now:

5/11, 2:40 PM

Latest word is the airport is closed, so we will not be leaving the country. We're hunkering down here at the Holiday Inn to ride out the storm. The hotel staff is boarding up the windows, and Peace Corps is taking good care of us. I'll keep updating while possible, but internet and phone service will likely be first to go.

5/11, 3:30 PM

One of the perks of working with the Vanuatu government is that they set me up with a government email. This means that it turns out I've been getting updates from them about the storm! Here are some of the key points from the most recent update:

To give some context, we are currently in SHEFA province, and my permanent site is in PENAMA province.

5/11, 5:30 PM

A couple of quick updates. First, the Vanuatu National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) advises people that Yellow Alert is now in effect for TORBA, SANMA, PENAMA and MALAMPA provinces. So, we are still not even in alert mode. Should stay pretty calm here for the next 24-30 hours.

For those of you (like me) that didn't know what Yellow Alert means, here's a handy reference guide:

There are four stages of community alerts issued for a cyclone; Blue, Yellow, Red and All Clear.

• Blue Alert means prepare for dangerous weather
• Yellow Alert means take action and get ready to go to shelter
• Red Alert means go to shelter immediately
• All Clear means that wind and storm surge dangers have passed but you need to take care to avoid the dangers caused by damage

And here's some info from Nik Karr (one of the Peace Corps staff members), who gave us instructions to disseminate it:

Please be advised that ALL Peace Corps Volunteers and Trainees in-country are safe and have been consolidated at a large hotel in Port Vila. The hotel was selected for its reduced exposure to wind and elevation from the water. Peace Corps and hotel staff are taking all necessary actions to ensure the safety of all Volunteers and Trainees.

Peace Corps Medical Officer and Acting Director of Training are housed with the Volunteers and Trainees at the Holiday Inn. Four Satellite Phones are also placed at the hotel. Peace Corps Senior Staff are also equipped with Satellite Phones.

Concerns or questions should be directed to the Peace Corps Washington Emergency 24-hour Response Telephone Number: 855-855-1961, ext. 1470 OR 202-692-1470

5/11, 9:15 PM

Not much new to report, but I found a cool graphic!

Embed: Wind map of Australia and Pacific

5/12, 10:45 AM
The word is in that we are leaving for Sydney. Take it with a grain of salt, as we were supposed to evacuate yesterday as well. Seems like this one is actually happing this time though. The storm projections keep putting it closer and closer to Efate, where we're currently holed up. Keep the people of Vanuatu in your thoughts!

5/12, 10:55 PM

We arrived safely in Sydney, and are waiting to hear information about how the storm is progressing. Keith, the CD, and most of the rest of the Peace Corps Vanuatu staff stayed behind in order to better assess the situation when the cyclone passes.

5/13, 7:50 PM

We've gotten a couple of updates from people currently in Port Vila. They're experiencing strong winds and rain, and power has gone out in some areas. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers as the storm hits tonight; the latest project map from the Fiji Meteorological Website is pretty terrifying.

The current plan is for us to get Disaster Relief Training here in Sydney so we can hopefully be a bit more prepared if and when we head back.

Here's an update from the Peace Corps website:

5/14, 10:00 AM

Last night, we went to bed with the news that the cyclone had again turned and was pretty much directly over Efate and Port Vila, the capital and most densely populated area of Vanuatu. A lot of news outlets are reporting widespread destruction, and fears of a high death toll. Hard to believe we almost stayed. Hard to believe people are still there. They're still keeping us here in Australia, so we're all staying hopeful that we'll be able to go back and help with the recovery effort. We did get word this morning from the Country Director that he and his family are fine, but we're all anxiously awaiting more news about the situation there. The cyclone is currently above Erromango/Tanna right now, and still going strong. This is a picture I've seen circulating around of the capital.