Roxy Burt and her mother, Susan Burt. Photo / Andrew Warner
Roxy Burt and her mother, Susan Burt. Photo / Andrew Warner
Tauranga mother and daughter Susan and Roxy Burt are mourning the deaths of two relatives killed in Vanuatu during Cyclone Pam.
But they say other family members in Vanuatu have shown amazing resilience and begun the daunting task of rebuilding their shattered lives.
The Burts had been waiting for news of friends and family in the villages of Ietukwei and Kwamera on the Island of Tanna. On Sunday night they heard two relatives had been killed by flying debris during the storm. However, most family members had survived as the cyclone tore a path of destruction across the island nation.
Ms Burt's Uncle Joal Natou had flown to Tanna from Port Vila and made a three-day trek to her mother's home village, Ietukwei, and found most of the structures in the area destroyed.
"We heard from my uncle on Sunday night. He made it back to Port Vila. The road had actually been pretty clear and all the family were safe.
"They had to huddle in one concrete structure which we had in our village. My grandmother, who is very strong minded, was very resolute about staying in her thatched roof hut for the entirety of the cyclone. They had to go in and drag her out into the stronger house there."
Her family was resourceful and resilient, she said.
"What my uncle discovered was the community in my village have come together and have started salvaging what materials are left and moving from house to house and rebuilding what they could ... It's our culture through and through. Resourcefulness, resilience ... from living off the land.
"My aunty had a baby on Tuesday, in the middle of it all. I can't even comprehend that. That is what I mean by resilience. They just get on with it. It would have been a traditional birth. They would have no medical [equipment] and relied on indigenous knowledge."
Although her mother's village had started to pick up the pieces, help was still needed with reports of aid still not reaching the villages. Ms Burt said they had collected money to send to family to buy sacks of rice and tinned fish to distribute within the family.
"Food and shelter are the biggest concerns now. All the shelter has gone. There is no shade. Imagine the tropical heat. It could compound dehydration issues and there is no water in the villages further south."
Niamh Dunn at the Arataki Free Kindergarten market day to raise funds for Vanuatu cyclone victims. Photo / George Novak
The Bay of Plenty Vanuatu Association would keep fundraising until it could send over a container with building materials and basics.
Ms Burt, a teacher at Arataki Kindergarten, said the centre would donate funds from a market yesterday to Vanuatu relief.
Anyone wanting to help could contact the Bay of Plenty Vanuatu Association by emailing vanzbop@gmail.com.
Fast facts about Vanuatu *Population: 218,000 *Capital: Port Vila, population 34,000 *Area: 12,190sq km *Language: English, French, more than 100 local languages *Religion: Protestant, Catholic, indigenous beliefs *Currency: Vatu *Life expectancy: 67 *GDP per capita: US$2900 *Literacy per cent: 53
