The Australian government is providing assistance to Vanuatu after the country was battered by two tropical cyclones and earthquakes.
More than 600 Australian Defence Force personnel are on board HMAS Canberra and two RAAF aircrafts have already been deployed to provide aid to the pacific nation.
“The Air Force is providing aerial recognisance and we’re also looking to provide humanitarian aid and disaster relief stores to the Vanuatuan government,” ADF major Ancel Lupke said.
“The ADF personnel on board bring recent experience from other relief efforts in the region over the past two years and Defence is proud to support a member of the Pacific family,” deputy prime minister Richard Marles said.
Foreign affairs minister Penny Wong said Australia has been able to deploy assistance quickly to help with impacts of both cyclones.
”With HMAS Canberra we are providing more humanitarian supplies and much needed logistical support. This shows our continued commitment to the Pacific family,” she said.
Vanuatu has been hit by two tropical cyclones in the past week with Cyclone Kevin reaching a category 4 as it made landfall on Saturday.
The cyclone brought wind speeds of up to 125km/h and gusts up to 185km/h.
The impacts of the disaster are only just becoming clear after it hit the Tafea province in the country’s south.
Read Related Also: Millions of Aussies set to sweat through heatwave
“It appears that the damage is manageable with some significant foliage and crop damage but settlements look largely intact,” the Vanuatu Business Resilience Council said.
It comes as category 4 Cyclone Judy swept across Vanuatu last week leaving parts of the capital Port Vila without power for days and many people in emergency evacuation centres.
UNICEF Pacific estimates around 150,000 people have been affected by the two devastating cyclones and the earthquakes.
The Vanuatu Red Cross has released photos showing the “trail of destruction” left by the two cyclones.
“Vanuatu Red Cross is ready to respond and provide immediate assistance to the worst affected communities,” the agency said.
Vanuatu Parliament said the two consecutive disasters are a sign of what’s to come.
“We have faced and will face many disasters to come,” the parliament said.
“Yet, we are still resilient. We will always rise up again.”
Sign up here to receive our daily newsletters and breaking news alerts, sent straight to your inbox.
