- Dozens feared dead in Vanuatu in aftermath of Cyclone Pam
- Vanuatu’s president says that ‘monster’ cyclone had devastated the country
- Jersey’s aid organisations planning rapid response to crisis
- Jersey played Vanuatu at cricket in 2013 at ICC Championships
ISLAND aid organisations were this morning planning rapid response talks to see how they could help international efforts to support storm-hit Vanuatu following one of the worst natural disasters in the region’s history.
Location: South Pacific, 1,090 miles east of northern Australia
Size: 4,710 square miles spread across lots of islands
Population: Around 250,000
Capital: Port Vila
Language: Bislama, French, English
Dozens are feared to have died after 200-mile-an-hour winds and rough seas wrought havoc among the South Pacific islands this weekend.
Authorities and aid workers are assessing the damage to the archipelago, including its remote outlying areas, reporting that the devastation is widespread and severe.
On Sunday Vanuatu’s president Baldwin Lonsdale announced that ‘monster’ Cyclone Pam had destroyed most of his nation’s houses, with whole villages being flattened.
This morning media outlets were reporting the deaths of at least eight people, with the death toll expected to rise.
Now, the Jersey Overseas Aid Commission and Jersey Side by Side, which also provides charitable support, said they were due to discuss how the Island could help in the wake of the natural disaster.
Deputy Carolyn Labey, the JOAC chairwoman, said the organisation was likely to get a flurry of requests from larger aid organisations within the coming days.
She added: ‘They usually like dealing with Jersey as we are able to respond very quickly, which is what is needed with emergencies.
‘As this is a natural disaster I’m sure we will make some sort of request very quickly.
‘Bigger agencies such as Unicef and Care Plan get the relief sorted and work out what is needed and then we normally hear from them. At this point in time we haven’t heard from them, but I dare say that we will get a flurry of requests for emergency support in the next 48 hours.’
This weekend a pilot who flew into the island of Tanna – with a population of around 30,000 – that was directly in the path of the cyclone reported that no roofs were left on concrete buildings and that all of the areas corrugated iron structures had been destroyed.
Chairman of Jersey Side by Side Peter Allman explained that the group would be planning to support relief efforts in the area.
He added: ‘We are trying to plan something we can do, but we need to speak to other agencies first.
‘We are looking to do something to support relief efforts and we have a meeting later this week where we will get more information together to see how quickly we can respond.
‘One of the biggest challenges, as people will see, is that these islands are so remote. We tend to have to rely on people in the area when things like this happen, so the Australian Red Cross is our primary point of contact.’
Former Side by Side Chairman Jean Le Maistre said: ‘We are trying to find out what is going on exactly, the role the Red Cross and other agencies are playing and how we can help.
‘The problem with Vanuatu, which looks to be in a pretty horrendous state, is that there are a large number of islands in outlying areas. Once we know what the situation is we will know how to plan any support that is needed – hopefully we can find out today what we can do.’
Jersey’s links with the region were strengthened two years ago when it hosted World Cricket League Division Six, welcoming the Vanuatu team as part of the competition.
And today Jersey’s cricketing authorities have said their thoughts are with those whose homes have been devastated.
The president of the Jersey Cricket Board, Ward Jenner, has confirmed that they will be discussing ways in which they can provide support for the stricken South Pacific island.
The South Sea islanders made a big impression among the Jersey fans for their vibrant and colourful approach to the sport.
Jersey’s final match of the 2013 tournament, which they won to win the event and secure promotion, was against the Pacific islanders.
Mr Jenner said: ‘Our thoughts are most definitely with those lovely people who we met from their island and who we hope to meet again.
‘From a personal capacity, I would definitely look to support any aid appeal.’
‘I am sure that all cricketing nations will do something and we will obviously be supporting whatever is suggested.’
Islanders who worry about the state of their lawn should spare a thought for the cricketers from Vanuatu who have to cope with crabs digging holes in their pitches.
The team from the South Pacific nation are among more than 120 players, officials and back room staff who visited Jersey in July 2013 for the ICC World Cricket League Division 6 tournament.
Also represented at the tournament – the winner and runner-up of which will secure lucrative promotion to Division 5 – are Kuwait, Bahrain, Nigeria, Argentina, and of course, our very own Jersey.
Each team has its own stories to tell, quirky characters and intriguing ways, from the Nigerians who play their cricket at home on concrete to the Bahrainis who play on sand, and the players from Vanuatu who have been going to the beach after each match in Jersey for a dip in the 16-degrees sea instead of having an ice bath (the sea temperature back home is around 24 degrees) to the officials who hail from far flung destinations such as Nepal, Singapore and, well, St Ouen.
But, it is perhaps Vanuatu, with their pesky crabs, 84 islands and epic journey from their capital Port Vila to Sydney, to Singapore, then on to Heathrow, then Gatwick and finally to Jersey, that is the most intriguing.
Mark Stafford is the Vanuatu team manager and also president of the Vanuatu Cricket Association and found five minutes to chat between breakfast and the coaches departing for that day’s matches.
The day before had been a rest day for all the teams and the Vanuatu players took a bus around the Island for a spot of sightseeing.
‘We come from a country of many islands and some of the 84 islands when compared to Jersey are quite large,’ he said.
‘Our capital, Port Vila, is an island at least ten times the size of Jersey with a population of about 40,000. We have 250,000 population in total.
FOLLOWING a seven-wicket victory over Vanuatu at Farmer’s Field in July 2013, Jersey were confirmed as Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 6 champions – meaning the Islanders secured promotion to Division 5.
In doing so, Craig Hogan’s youthful side made history, as the first Jersey team to win any division of the World League.
The match with Vanuatu, which began in glorious sunshine, had to be postponed after prolonged periods of rain.
Jersey had dismissed their opposition for 135 runs in 44.3 overs and were chasing well at 27-0 after nine when the heavens opened. Batting second, they needed to complete 20 overs in order to constitute a match, at which point the Duckworth- Lewis scoring system could have been applied.
The covers stayed put for the remainder of the afternoon and ICC regulations meant that the final group matches had to be replayed a day later at their original venues, in place of the scheduled final at Grainville and place play-offs at Farmer’s and FB Fields.
The hosts had to attempt to recreate all their good work from the previous day as they, yet again, bowled first in a match. Having lost a man early, Vanuatu regrouped with a strong second wicket partnership of forty-one but from thereon, wickets tumbled at regular intervals.
A thirteen over stand for the eighth wicket produced fifty-seven valuable runs for the men from the South Pacific, but their final total of 189 all out, from 44.3 overs, was unlikely to daunt Jersey’s batsmen given the evidence of the previous week.
