Luganville needs a formal evacuation centre to provide safe accommodation and essential services for families and vulnerable people during cyclones and other disasters, as Vanuatu prepares for the cyclone season from November to April.
Sanma Secretary General’s representative Bruno Taliban says the municipality currently has no formal evacuation centre, with communities often relying on churches, schools and other informal facilities during emergencies.
He said these locations do not always meet the requirements needed to properly accommodate people affected by disasters.
“So far, we do not have any formal evacuation centre. It is very important that we establish one. The ward secretaries and Community Disaster and Climate Change Committees (CDCCCs) who participated in the workshop have highlighted the need for proper formal evacuation centres that can accommodate people.”
He added that many existing informal centres do not have the facilities required under the standards and policies of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO).
Communities Still Rely on Churches and Schools
Sanma Provincial Disaster Officer with the NDMO, Kensley Micah, said people would continue to use identified informal evacuation locations depending on the type and circumstances of a disaster.
He said churches and schools were among the places commonly used by communities when people needed to evacuate.
“During a disaster, the places people evacuate to will depend on the situation. Communities themselves will identify suitable places, including churches and schools, which are the locations most commonly used as evacuation centres in their areas.”
Taliban said preparedness must also include stronger building standards to help families remain safe during cyclones.
He suggested that the municipality consider developing building standards that would support more resilient homes, including different requirements for temporary shelters and permanent houses.
He said the cost of building a permanent house was a challenge for many families, but appropriate standards could help improve safety during disasters.
Training to Improve Evacuation Centre Management
The call for a formal evacuation centre came during an evacuation centre management workshop held in Sanma this week.
Micah said the train-the-trainers workshop specifically targeted identified evacuation centre managers, ward secretaries, area administrators and community liaison officers.
“We are focusing on training ward secretaries, area administrators and community liaison officers this week so that, in the future, they can deliver evacuation centre training at other centres they identify in their own areas.”
Taliban said previous disaster experiences had shown that people often evacuated without proper coordination, management or leadership.
“In the past, people would simply run to a place, or they would be told to go somewhere, without proper coordination, management or leadership. There was also no proper database to help us identify and assist people affected by a disaster who needed to stay in an evacuation centre.”
He said the training would help strengthen Community Disaster and Climate Change Committees and improve their coordination with ward secretaries during emergencies.
“This training will help strengthen our CDCCCs and improve how we work with ward secretaries in different municipal wards to address issues during disasters.”
Micah confirmed that this was the fourth evacuation centre management workshop organised by IOM in partnership with the NDMO in Sanma Province.
The training aims to prepare local leaders and identified evacuation centre managers to coordinate evacuation arrangements and provide better support to communities during disasters.
