The Vanuatu Meteorology and Geohazards Department's training and outreach officer, Wiliam Bae Worworkon Photo: VanKIRAP
The Vanuatu Meteorology and Geohazards Department (VMGD) and the Vanuatu Klaemet Infomesen blong Redi, Adapt & Protekt (VanKIRAP), have established six new provincial community climate centres, with three more sites are planned.
The centres will receive vital weather information from the VMGD, which will then be translated into the local dialect and passed on to remote provincial communities.
The VMGD's training and outreach officer Wiliam Bae Worworkon spoke to RNZ Pacific.
He explained that current forecasts can be very technical and confusing for people in remote areas who may speak a particular dialect. The community climate centres will mean that such communities will not miss out on this vital information, as the information will be tailored to their respective dialects.
Despite having a population of less than 300,000, Vanuatu is home to 138 indigenous languages. It has the highest linguistic density per capita in the World. Out of the three official languages, Bislama is the most widely spoken in Vanuatu, followed by English and French.
Damage from Cyclone Lola Photo: Twitter.com/@yumitalem
Worworkon said that this project is important because Vanuatu is facing extreme weather events more often. He said that communities are very interested in receiving accurate weather information in a format they can understand.
"The response by the communities to set up the centres has been positive," he said.
"My role in this project is to help facilitate training for the local communities to build their capacities to understand this information so they relay it back to their communities in their languages."
Worworkon further explained that the centres are not just the VMGD passing on information.
"We also asked the communities to send feedback to us which may be included in the VMGD's monthly briefing,"
This will also allow the VGMD to better meet the communities' needs.
The community climate centres that have been established are as follows:
- Torba provincial Council
- Sanma
- Luganinville
- South Santo area Council
- The Provincial Council of Penama
- The Malapma provincial council
- The Tafea provincial Council in Tanna
The three planned centres will be built in Penama Province, Northern Pentecost and north Ambrym (for Malapma Province), as well as North Erromango.
Tropical Cyclone outlook for Vanuatu
In June this year, the World Bank's Risk Report ranked Vanuatu as the most at-risk country for natural disasters.
In the 2024/25 Tropical Cyclone Season, Vanuatu is expected to have two to four (2-4) cyclones over the archipelago from Torba in the north to Tafea province in the south.
Acting Director of VGMD Fred Jockley said that from his experience, it does not take a direct hit from a severe tropical cyclone to cause considerable damage or life-threatening weather in Vanuatu.
"In the past, tropical disturbances and depressions alone have caused significant damage in Vanuatu."
It is also likely that at least one tropical cyclone will reach category 3 or higher intensity during the 2024/25 cyclone season.
