NDMO CONTINUES DISTRIBUTION OF DRY RATIONS AND FOOD CROPS TO TC HAROLD VICTIMS

Delivery of local food crops in Pentecost by ship

The National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) continues to distribute dry food rations and local food crops as food relief supplies to the Tropical Cyclone Harold affected islands this week.

The Logistic team leader at NDMO Jimmy Naura stated the distribution of food relief supplies will continue this week as they have deployed six shipments from Port Vila last week of the Non-Food Items (NFIs) and the collection of root crops from other islands to the affected islands.

“The distribution of much needed second push of relief food supplies begins this week in the islands as NDMO had shipped much relief supplies of non-food items and food supplies donated by our partners from overseas and locally as part of the government emergency response to all provincial disaster centers for further distribution,” he said.  

The second round of response of emergency relief supplies will involve food rations, water and local crops mainly through the coordination of the Food Security and Agriculture Cluster (FSAC) led by the Department of Agriculture and NDMO. 

Mr. Naura explained that the Logistic team at NDMO had loaded six vessels with relief supplies for Ambrym, Pentecost and Santo last week. MV Sarafenua was loaded with 5000 bags of rice, 5000 cartoons of tin foods and 5000 cartoons of water for Pentecost Island. 

Pacific Star was loaded with 1881 cartoons of water, 1881 cartoons of tin fish and 1881 bags of rice for Malekula and both LC Vallery and MV Urata loaded the NFIs and donated relief supplies to Santo.

LC Tiwi Trader and Kalyara were doing the running trip with collecting of local food crops for the Food Security and Agriculture Cluster (FSAC) from Shefa, Tanna and Erromango to the affected islands of Pentecost, Malekula and Santo.

The distribution of all relief supplies this week in the affected islands is considered part of the second push of distribution of relief supplies from the national government under the coordination of the NDMO with the support of its Clusters during this response phase.