Pam damage exceeds 50% of Vanuatu's GDP:PDNA Report

The total damage and losses in the aftermaths of Tropical Cyclone Pam, which struck Vanuatu on March 13 and 14 in 2015, is approximately Vt48.6 billion.

This is equivalent to some 64.1% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) report has revealed. Pam is one of the strongest cyclones ever recorded in the southwest Pacific and left a trail of destruction, displacing some 65,000 people, and damaging or destroying approximately 17,000 buildings and ruining agricultural crops across half the country.

The estimated value of these damage amounts to approximately Vt29.3 billion and losses inflicted approximately Vt19.3 billion. Losses include such things as foregone revenue and missed business income.

The highest impacted sector is the productive sector followed by the social sector and infrastructure.

These figures are from the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) report which was launched Tuesday at the Prime Minister’s Office by the Deputy Prime Minister, Moana Carcasses, on behalf of the Prime Minister, Sato Kilman.

“These figures are an underestimate of the real total damage and losses due to the lack of data available,” DPM Carcasses said.

“The PDNA gives us a credible estimate that we can plan our rehabilitation and reconstruction around. It has informed the Government’s recovery priorities as set out in the Recovery Framework and will help the Government when rationalizing and selecting priority projects,” he added.

He said, therefore, the PDNA exercise was a crucial step in the nation’s rehabilitation and recovery work.

There is a need a need to prioritize the sectors for recovery and reconstruction, going forward, based on the findings of this PDNA and the available financial envelope as highlighted in the report’s Way Forward.

A criteria-based prioritization of recovery needs across competing intersectoral priorities will be required. The principles of prioritization suggested in the PDNA would include the following: Potential for direct and widest humanitarian impact; Potential to generate sustainable livelihoods; Inclusive (pro-poor and pro-vulnerable strategies); Balance between public and private sector recovery; and Restoration and rebuilding of critical infrastructure and services.

The recovery program will be implemented under the Government’s leadership, with and in close partnership with the private sector, and civil society of Vanuatu and with the support of development partners. And it is planned to be completed in two years, in August, 2017.

Source: Vanuatu Daily Post