As Manaro volcano in Vanuatu continues to spew smoke and ash, the government of the Pacific country launched a compulsory evacuation effort on the island of Ambae. All 11,000 residents have been ordered to leave.
The vent of the Manaro volcano is surrounded by a volcanic lake within the island of AmbaeImage: Getty Images/AFP/T. Boyer
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Vanuatu's government imposed a state of emergency and ordered full evacuation of the island of Ambae on Friday, after the Manaro volcano sent out thick clouds of smoke which blocked off the sun and coated the South Pacific island with ash.
The US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released satellite footage of the ash cloud.
The Meteorology and Geo-hazards department of Vanuatu, which boasts around 65 inhabited islands, described Manaro as a "danger to direct safety to life." It also warned residents to stay at least three kilometers (1.9 miles) away from the vent.
"The local population from Ambae and from neighboring islands will continue to hear rumbling, volcanic explosions (and) smell volcanic gases," experts said.
Earlier this week, the volcano set off a 12 kilometer (7.5-mile) column of smoke into the air.
The latest evacuation order marks the third time government has asked residents of Ambae to leave since the volcano first started rumbling in September last year. In recent months, the authorities of the impoverished country have been aiding residents to permanently relocate. Hundreds have already moved to neighboring islands of Maewo, Pentecost and Espiritu Santo.
Vanuatu has a population of about 270,000 and is located some 2,000 kilometers (1.240 miles) east of Australia. France, New Zealand, and Australia have all provided aid and financial assistance for previous evacuations.
Small islands feel the wrath of climate change
Small islands such as Vanuatu in the Pacific are feeling the effects of climate change: Rising sea levels and extreme weather events threaten their very existence. Cyclone Pam is one very tangible signal.
Image: John Corcoran
Cyclone Pam destroys Vanuatu
Winds of up to 320 kilometers (200 miles) an hour ripped roofs off houses and downed trees in Port Vila in the island nation of Vanuatu. Category 5 Cyclone Pam hit the capital on Friday, March 13, 2015. Vanuatu President Baldwin Lonsdale said the cyclones that the nation had experienced were directly linked to climate change. "We see the level of sea rise. [We see] change in weather patterns."
Image: Reuters/K. Paras
'Development has been wiped out'
President Lonsdale dubbed Cyclone Pam "a monster" that had devastated the country. "It’s a setback for the government and for the people of Vanuatu. After all the development that has taken place, all this development has been wiped out." He said 90 percent of the buildings had been destroyed in the capital alone. So far, six people were confirmed dead and 30 injured from the cyclone.
Image: Reuters/K. Paras
Cyclone hit multiple countries and islands
The cyclone devastated numerous countries across the South Pacific. "At least nine nations have experienced some level of devastation including Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Fiji, Tuvalu, and Papua New Guinea," a statement by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.
Image: John Corcoran
Children at risk
The UN's Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimates that at least 60,000 children have been displaced or affected by the cyclone. According to UNICEF, hundreds of children in Tuvalu, Solomon Islands and Kiribati are also affected. "It felt like the world was coming to an end," said UNICEF's Alice Clements, one of the organization's staff members, who was in Port Vila when the storm hit.
Image: Reuters/K. Paras
A wake-up call?
For years, small island nations such as Kiribati (pictured here) have been trying to combat climate change. Seychelles President James Michel said on Monday that Cyclone Pam was "a clear manifestation of climate change" and called on the international community to "wake up" to the impact of global warming.
Image: John Corcoran
Local efforts to protect the land
The inhabitants of the most vulnerable islands have been trying to secure coastal areas to prevent the tides from washing away the soil. While these measures assist in the short term, more needs to be done to tackle the root cause of rising sea levels.
Image: John Corcoran
'Natural disasters have worsened'
"Climate change has exacerbated the severity of natural disasters and [their] frequency, that's worsening the impacts on different communities," the president of island nation Kiribati, Anote Tong, said. Climate change and disasters are related, he added. Scientists, however, say it's impossible to attribute single weather events like Cyclone Pam to climate change.
Image: John Corcoran
UN urges action against climate change
"We must especially help the poorest and most vulnerable people," UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in the aftermath of the cyclone. Prevention of natural disasters is a global task, he added. "Climate change is intensifying the risks for hundreds of millions of people, particularly in small island developing states and coastal areas." A new climate treaty will be negotiated later this year.
