Rebuilding after Cyclone Pam, Part 1

On Friday, August 28th we flew to the island nation of Vanuatu.  We were met at the airport by Elder and Sister Leben, the humanitarian missionary couple in Vanuatu.  The purpose of our visit was to help them with the recovery plans to rebuild homes after Cyclone Pam.

We dropped off our luggage at our hotel and then went to the Leben's home for lunch.

Just as we were finishing lunch Elder Leben received a phone call telling him that the Saturday morning flight to Tanna island he and Gary were scheduled for was cancelled and they would book them for a flight on Tuesday.  That was totally unacceptable as the whole purpose of the trip was so that Gary and Elder Leben could work on Tanna for 5 days.  We immediately went to the Air Vanuatu office in downtown Port Vila to see if they could get on a different flight.  After standing in line for forever we finally left with one confirmed seat and one standby seat on another flight in the morning.

After our experience with the airline, we drove to one of the higher points on the island of Efate to relax and get an overview of Port Vila.

Early Saturday morning Sister Leben took the men to the airport.  Elder Leben took the confirmed seat on the first flight at 8:00 AM and Gary was able to get on a 9:00 AM flight with a stop on another island.  He arrived on Tanna island about 11:00 AM.  Meanwhile Susan and Sister Leben went about their part of the work on the island of Efate.  Things worked out well for Gary and Matthias and they had the 5 days needed for their work on Tanna island.  (More details on the next post.)

With the men safely off on their flights, Susan and Sister Leben went to the market and bought food for the week.  After their shopping they attended a baptism.  Following the baptism they went to lunch with Sister Stoddard, an education missionary on Vanuatu.  Her husband took the people (15) who came to the baptism back to their homes, an hour's drive away.  Pick up trucks are quite versatile.

Sunday they attended church at one ward and then went to another ward hoping to catch up with the stake president.  They were unsuccessful but were able to make contact with President Basil later in the day.  After discussing a pressing matter with him they went home and had dinner with Elder and Sister Stoddard who live next door to the Leben's.  After dinner Susan and Petra worked on their computers and made plans for Monday morning which began a full day and a busy work week.

Beginning Monday morning, Sisters Winters and Leben worked with local church members who helped them find the homes of people needing help rebuilding or repairing their homes.  When they arrived at a home, Susan would photograph the home and owner and assign a number.  She would ask them how many people lived in the home, if they owned the land and if they had water.  Meanwhile, Sister Leben and the local people would measure and assess the condition of the home.  Some homes were totally gone, while others just needed a few building materials to make them livable again.  

The plan is to have government approved building training courses at the local churches.  The training will teach the recipients how to build a stronger and safer, more cyclone resistant structure.  Each selected household will receive the specific materials that they need for repair or rebuild.  After the families complete the repairs or rebuild, the training the teams will go back and take pictures of the completed homes.  We call them homes, but they are far from what most people would consider a home.  They are really just a shelter, a sleeping area where the family can keep dry. Each home owner must attend the rebuilding training in order to receive the building materials.  The supplies will help to make a 4m x 5m (about 13 ft. X 16 ft.) sleeping area.  They are told not to try to build a bigger home as it will not be cyclone safe.  With the proper materials and building techniques the homes will be safe up to a category 3 cyclone.  This help and training is offered to everyone in the areas selected - members and non-members alike.  At this stage, it looks like there may be about 700 homes.

"Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says, 'I'll try again tomorrow.'"  Mary Anne Radmacher, Courage Doesn't Always Roar (2009) quoted by Thomas S. Monson, First Presidency Message  January 2012 "Living the Abundant Life" 

The phone call

Gary went to Vanuatu with two others as soon as commercial flights resumed after Cyclone Pam struck the island nation of Vanuatu.  One of the top priorities for Church emergency response during a crisis is to verify that the young missionaries are safe and accounted for.  There were 11 young missionaries - 5 sisters and 6 elders on the island of Tanna, an islands in the Vanuatu chain where the eye of the cyclone passed directly over.  Port Vila, the capital city is on the island of Efate which is where the mission president is located.  When he arrived in Port Vila Wednesday, electricity was not restored in the city and telephone communications between the islands was not possible.  The number one question after a disaster is ‘Are the missionaries safe and well?’ President Brewer felt that his missionaries on Tanna were okay, but he needed to confirm that feeling with a phone call or direct message. Four days went by before he received the anticipated message.  The government had instituted a dusk to dawn curfew, so the team couldn't meet until the next morning.   

 The next morning President Brewer shared the following:

 “When Tanna Zone Leader, Elder Beynon, returned to Port Vila I asked him how he was able to make phone contact with me four days after the storm. Of course, we knew that Digicel and TVL towers had been severely dam-aged by the storm and communication through those services was impossible. The battery in my personal cell phone was nearly exhausted that morning. Elder Beynon said the Lenakel group leader, who is also a po-liceman in Lenakel, permitted him to use the police satellite phone to make that contact. We spoke for about one and a half minutes before my phone died, just long enough to direct him to take all of the missionaries to the airport the next day to board a chartered plane for their return to Port Vila. To hear Elder Beynon report that every missionary in Tanna was well and accounted for was the miracle we had prayed for.” President Larry E. Brewer 

 ---  Some things are hard to explain rationally, but the Lord is aware of His missionaries and by some means communication between a worried mission president and his missionaries were available for a short period of time.



The phone call

Missionaries before the storm

Tanna missionaries after the storm

Tanna Elders after Cyclone Pam

Tanna Elders

Tanna Elders on the plane

Missionaries at Mission Home

"Miracles are everywhere to be found...... When faith replaces doubt, when selfless services eliminates selfish striving, the power of God  brings to pass his purposes."
Thomas S. Monson

(Note:  Photos courtesy of Pres. Larry Brewer. - Susan's computer is being repaired, so we are using Gary's computer temporarily.)

Cyclone Pam

Jac and Sara's arrival

Trip to temple before Gary's departure

Our daughter Sara and son-in-law Jac arrived last Sunday ready to spend some time with both us of,  see beautiful New Zealand and participate in cultural events and activities offered by this country.  We had plans ready and had arranged to take few days off of work to enjoy the country.  However even the best laid plans can sometimes be derailed by mother nature.  Last weekend, a category 5 storm (Cyclone Pam) hit the island nation of Vanuatu resulting in a major emergency for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and for the people and government of Vanuatu.  With Gary's background and experience he was asked to travel to Vanuatu and help assess the situation and recommend how the Church might provide aid in this disaster.  Commercial flights to Vanuatu resumed on Wednesday March 18 and Gary left with two others from the Pacific Area Office to Port Vila, Vanuatu.  Here is what he reported when he returned to New Zealand on Saturday, March 21:

"We arrived the afternoon of Wednesday 18 March at approximately 4 PM and left on Saturday 21 March at 7 AM.  The Vanuatu government has imposed a dawn to dusk (6 PM to 6 AM) curfew so we had two full days to make our assessment and evaluation.  Our first impression comparing Port Vila and Efate to a previous trip in November 2014 was that it “looked like winter”.  The leaves were off the trees and there were small fires and smoke everywhere.  After landing and driving to our hotel accommodation, our general impression was that damages, although significant, were not as bad as expected.  All missionaries are safe and accounted for.  Members on the island of Efate (Port Vila) along with their counterparts in the community are working hard to rebuild their homes and lives.  There were 200-300 living temporarily in Church buildings at night and working hard during the day to piece together the remnants of their homes.  People are going back to their homes and property as quickly as possible.  Church buildings withstood the cyclone quite well.  We visited 5 meetinghouses and the mission home.  The four Church-constructed meetinghouses and the mission home had minor damage, but were very functional.  One “bush-chapel” we visited will need to be rebuilt.  Church members and people in the community are generally positive, happy and working hard to piece their lives back together.  Food and supplies are available in Port Vila, but outside of the city where people depend upon agriculture and their gardens to feed themselves, there is only food on the ground and in the ground for the next week or possibly two.  The immediate to mid-term needs outside the city are for the basics:  food, water and shelter.  Agricultural help will be needed long-term."

Overview upon arrival

The Team - Hans, Elder and Sister Leben, Gary, and Garrick

Rebuilding

Remains of a meetinghouse

Elder and Sister Leben viewing remains of a village school

The school before the storm

Replacing the roof 

Food to be distributed

Helping hands ready to deliver food

Quoting Gary, "Overall, it was a wonderful experience.  People of Vanuatu, after losing almost all their possessions were positive, happy and working hard to restore their lives.  If you listened carefully you could hear in the background the sound of chainsaws, children playing and people laughing as the worked together.  I had the feeling that I was where I was suppose to be when I was suppose to be there."  As said by a great prophet from the Book of Mormon:  "When you are in the service of your fellow beings, you are only in the service of your God."