Cyclone Harold in Vanuatu: What Happened on Espiritu Santo and How It Rebuilt

Short answer: Severe Tropical Cyclone Harold made landfall on Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu's largest island, on April 6, 2020, with sustained winds of more than 200 km/h (about 125 mph). The World Meteorological Organization described that as the equivalent of a Category 5 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale used for US hurricanes. It struck while Vanuatu's borders were closed for COVID-19, so the response leaned heavily on local communities and the national government.

What happened when Harold hit

Harold crossed the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and Tonga in early April 2020. In Vanuatu the northern provinces took the worst of it, and Sanma Province, which includes Espiritu Santo and the town of Luganville, was the most affected. Initial assessments cited by the WMO suggested that as much as 90 percent of the population in Sanma lost their homes, and that more than half of all schools and almost a quarter of health centers were damaged.

Based on the first aerial surveillance assessments by Vanuatu's National Disaster Management Office (NDMO), the number of people affected was put at about 159,000. The Vanuatu Council of Ministers declared a State of Emergency on April 10, 2020, as recorded in the UN Pacific Humanitarian Team's situation reports.

Why COVID-19 border closures made it harder

Pacific disaster responses usually bring in aid workers, engineers and volunteers within days. In April 2020 Vanuatu had closed its borders to keep COVID-19 out, so most of that outside surge could not travel. Relief supplies were shipped and flown in, but much of the work on the ground fell to the NDMO, provincial authorities, churches, village leaders and families.

Communities cleared roads and debris, shared food from gardens that survived, and rebuilt shelters using traditional building skills alongside donated materials. That response was real and effective, but it came at a cost: many families lived in damaged homes or temporary structures for a long time, while supply chains for roofing iron, timber and hardware were disrupted around the world.

How the recovery worked

Recovery ran on two tracks. Housing came first: emergency shelter, then repairs and rebuilds. Livelihoods took longer. Much of rural Santo depends on tree crops such as coconut and cocoa, and trees that are uprooted or badly damaged take years to return to full production. Households that also grew root crops and vegetables, or kept livestock, generally had a faster way back to food and income, which is why crop diversification is a common theme in agricultural recovery work in the region.

Harold also showed the value of preparation. Early warnings and pre-emptive evacuations were credited by the UN Secretary-General, in remarks reported by the WMO, with helping keep people safe ahead of the storm across the affected countries.

What it means if you are visiting Vanuatu

Harold is a reminder that Vanuatu sits in an active cyclone zone. The South Pacific cyclone season generally runs from November to April. If you are traveling from the United States, Canada, the UK or Australia during those months:

• Check the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department for current warnings before and during your trip.
• Read your government's travel advice, such as the US State Department's Vanuatu page or Australia's Smartraveller advice.
• Choose travel insurance that covers weather disruption, and keep some flexibility in your plans in case flights or inter-island boats are canceled.

Visiting Santo is also one of the most direct ways to support the island: spending at locally owned guesthouses, restaurants and tour operators keeps money in the community.

Sources

• World Meteorological Organization: Tropical Cyclone Harold challenges disaster and public health management (April 14, 2020)
• ReliefWeb: Tropical Cyclone Harold, April 2020
• UN OCHA: Pacific Humanitarian Team, Tropical Cyclone Harold situation report #5