Up close and personal: What Cyclone Pam has cost Cynthia and her family

Friends,

I’ve arrived in Port Vila. I knew the storm had been brutal, but it’s one thing to hear words like “devastated” and quite another to see it for yourself. I’ll write more soon—perhaps tomorrow—about what it was like flying into Port Vila and seeing the ground beneath the plane littered with twisted trees that had been uprooted and split in half by the wind. From the air, the tropical landscape that should be green is mostly brown. The trees that remained standing have all been stripped of their leaves.

Right now, however, I want to focus on something more urgent than processing my own mixed emotions upon arriving in this place that will become home to us.

So, let me introduce you to Cynthia and tell you a bit about what her last two weeks has been like.  

Cynthia started working for us three weeks ago, when Mike arrived in Vanuatu. She will help us look after the house. She will also watch over Dominic and Alex while I am working part time after the kids and I arrive in Vanuatu on April 11th.

Cynthia and her husband, Harry, have four children (aged 10, 6, 2, and 8 months). Here are a couple of pictures she had on the family’s phone of her and her family.

Like many in Vanuatu, this family lost their home during the cyclone. The family was sheltering with Mike, so everyone was physically unharmed. However, they returned to their house the next morning to find it totally demolished and all of their clothing, bedding, and kitchenware strewn about—soaked, broken, and largely destroyed.

Here are some pictures of their living situation right now…

All that remains of Cynthia’s house after Cyclone Pam

The tent where Cynthia and her family are currently sleeping.

Cynthia’s kitchen

The landscape around Cynthia’s house

Six days after the cyclone, when telecommunications were finally restored to the island where her parents live, Cynthia also learned that her mother died during the storm.

Cynthia and the family are currently living in a small tent on their land, cooking over an open fire, and trying to protect what remains of their belongings under a couple of pieces of tin.

The house that was destroyed had no running water, no indoor toilet, and an outdoor kitchen. When I asked Cynthia what she hoped to do in terms of rebuilding she looked shy. “I don’t want a very good house because I know that that is too expensive,” she said, “but just some strong roof and some cover around.”

Many of you have emailed or left notes offering generous assistance in recent days, so here is one way you can help—give some money to help Cynthia and her family rebuild their house and replace the bedding and kitchenware that they lost during the storm.

I would like to raise $3500 US dollars (about $4500 Australian dollars) for Cynthia. 

This will pay to rebuild their house with a wooden frame, a tin roof, and better external toilet and cooking facilities. It will also pay for some new bedding, kitchen equipment, and clothing.  Click here if you would like to donate to help Cynthia and her family.

Thank you so much for your help. Cynthia, Harry, the kids (and Mike and I) really appreciate it!