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More than 200 residents including people with disabilities, the elderly and children participated in an earthquake and tsunami drill on Efate’s offshore island of Ifira.
Organised by the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-hazards Department , the drill was conducted with the people of Ifira and Woraulua to commemorate World Tsunami Day which is an annual event held on 5 November.
The residents registered and took part in the drill exercise.
Oxfam Vanuatu’s Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction (CBDRR) team took part in the exercise VMDG, National Disaster Management Office, Shefa Provincial Government Council, Save the Children Vanuatu, JICA, Vanuatu Red Cross Society, Tanvasoko CDCCC and the community leaders of Ifira.
A warning siren was sounded with the authorization from VMGD to get the drill going, participants were advised to evacuate the island via boats and by land to safe zones on the Maltauriki Hilltop and on Ifira’s high ground site.
Participants had the opportunity to learn about the different warning signs of a tsunami and the basics of how an evacuation should happen.
Oxfam has been working with local counterparts to support Disaster READY in the country.
Vanuatu is the world’s most at-risk country for natural hazards, according to a UN University World RiskIndex
Photo Oxfam in Vanuatu Caption: Evacuation to Maltauriki Hilltop via boat.
