1. ASSESSMENT REPORT ON CYCLONE PAM DAMAGE AT MERE-SAUWIA VILLAGE
NGUNA ISLAND, EFATE, VANUATU.
(Photo by: Taman Willie ONESMAS)
BY: Chief MANAPANGA-RRAVE (Taman Willie ONESMAS)
Manager Mere-Sauwia Village
Nguna Island, North Efate
VANUATU

2. I. SUMMARY
This report is compiled by the Mere-Sauwia Administrative and Development Committee who is also
responsible for the Disaster Committee and the Red Cross Committee in Mere-Sauwia Village.
a. Historical background of Mere-Sauwia
Mere-Sauwia village known as “Mere” is one of the (18) eighteen original villages of Nguna Island
which only (11) exist today. Moreover, the Mere-Sauwia is the smallest village.
b. Governance system
Despite its size smaller than other village communities on the island, it is famous and well known
throughout the island because of how it is organized, governed and managed.
The governance system of the village is traditional system with integration of foreign system
included in the village structure.
The Mere-Sauwia Administrative and Development Committee is the body looking after all
administrative and development matters in the village that also look after the responsibilities of
Disaster and Red Cross committee and or any other committee that is needed to be in place.
The governing and organization of our village is very active and participatory.
c. Geographical location of the Mere-Sauwia
The Mere-Sauwia Village is located on the North Eastern site on the Island of Nguna as shown on the
Map provided.
MERE-SAUWIA VILLAGE
Layout of Mere-Sauwia Village

3. MERE-SAUWIA VILLAGE
d. Population and house-hold statistic.
The tables below show the number of people and house-hold of Mere-Sauwia.
Table.1.
Age Male Female Total
1-6 5 7 12
7-12 9 2 11
13-18 10 3 13
19- 39 11 9 20
40-80 5 6 11
------------------------------- 40 27 67
Table.2.
Age Male Female Widow Mental Illegitimate Total
1-6 2 4 6 6
7-12 4 4 4
13-18 4 4 4
19-39 5 2 7 7
40-80 2 3 4 1 5
---------------- 17 9 4 1 21 22
Table.3.

4. Names of house-hold families Number families/house-hold Number of garden/house
chief Marimasoe Tavakalo 8 5
Chief Malesu-Mata 7 5
Chief Manasulapa 7 4
Chief Manapanga-Rrave 5 4
Chief Maraki-Vakalo 5 3
Chief Masekoto 5 2
Taserei Titus 13 7
Tasaruru Whitely 6 3
Leipakoa Milton 3 2
Marie Thomas 2 3
Marcelin Jerry 7 4
Table.4.
Number
of
sleeping
house
Number
of
kitchen
Number
of toilets
Number
of
bathroom
Number of
community
house
Number of
community
bathroom
Number of
community
toilets
Number
of other
house
13 13 13 13 3 2 2 12
As shown on tables, Mere-Sauwia has a population of 66+ people living in the village. However the
total population of the village is just over 120 people which half of the total population of the village
lives in Port Vila.
The number of house-hold in Mere-Sauwia village is 12 house-holds.
e. Gardening system and practices
People living in Mere-Sauwia as people in other village in the country depend entirely in their
garden crops such as casava, taro, banana, kumala, and other root and vegetable to sustain their
daily lives. People cultivate mainly substantial farming.
f. Financial generating income resources
People of Mere-Sauwia depend entirely on fruit from fruit trees and resources from their small farm
garden to generate income into their individual house and to support their community works and
organization’s administration.
Money earn contribute to purchase school fees, daily home needs, medicine, transport and cost
they need to spend money for.
II. INTRODUCTION
On the tenth day of month March 2015 Tuesday afternoon the Mere-Sauwia begins to be informed
about the system situated in the far northern part of Vanuatu. On the second day which is
Wednesday the 11 Day of March the people including chiefs, leaders and all people of the village are

5. inform that the system is becoming a cyclone.by earing the information about the cyclone, we begin
to talk to ourselves to be prepared for the cyclone.
As soon as the people of Mere-Sauwia received information, we begin to prepared for the cyclone,
by covering tach house with coconut palm, remove iron roof from veranda of houses, and ensure all
iron roof are well placed, arrange people and find save and secure place to accommodate people,
from Wednesday, Thursday and Friday morning. All have been organize by the village leaders and
ensure all people are saved and accommodate in save place before Friday 3 o’clock in the afternoon.
Chiefs, leaders and resource people of the village have talk together to write a report on the cyclone
damage after an assessment and send it to responsible authorities asking for helping for the need of
our people.
III. DISCUSION
A. BEFORE CYCLONE PAM
PROBLEMS/ISSUES HOW TO SOLVE PROBLEM/ISSUES
No radio Vanuatu broadcast for information Tune to other radio station to find information
People ignore information given. Leaders try hard to convince people for the
preparation
WEAKNESS STRENGHT
People did fully prepare for the cyclone by cover
houses with palm leaves and put shutters on
windows and doors.
Leaders have negotiated for a safe and secure
house and prepared it ready for people to go
inn.
Leaders inform people to prepare food before 3
o’clock and get into the save house before time.
People did prepare and ready for everything
before time.
Leaders manage to get information through
mobile phone event though there is no radio
broadcast.
Leaders are well organized
B. DURING CYCLONE PAM
PROBLEMS/ISSUES HOW TO SOLVE PROBLEMS/ISSUES

6. No radio Vanuatu broadcast Tune to other radio station to track the cyclone’s
position
Communication network breakdown to receive
information
WEAKNESS STRENGHT
People are kept save during the cyclone
Children and young people are told not to go
outside during the cyclone as they never
experience the power of the cyclone wind
C. AFTER CYCLONE PAM
PROBLEMS/ISSUES HOW TO SOLVE PROBLEMS/ISSUES
Damage crops in the garden Replan new crops
Damage resource and environment ?
Damage income generating resources ?
Affect people’s health ? Need standby medicines/drugs at the clinic
WEAKNESS STRENGHT
No community house to accommodate people
during cyclone and other disaster
The present generation of Mere-Sauwia village
take the cyclone damage as a lesson learn
Some individual people have strong house to
accommodate people during cyclone.
D. CYCLONE DAMAGE
The cyclone has caused much damage and lives our area a devastated area. It has cause damage
to; houses, garden and other important sites within our customary area.
Table.1.
Number
of
sleeping
house
damaged
Number
of
kitchen
damaged
Number
of
bathroom
damaged
Number
of toilet
damaged
Number of
communities
house
damaged
Number of
community
bathroom
damaged
Number of
community
bathroom
damaged
Number
of other
house
damaged
5 11 6 7 3 1 1 3
Table.2.

7. Name of family House damage Type of house Estimate cost
Chief Marimasoe-
Tavakalo
Kitchen 1 Iron roofing 20,000 vatu
Chief Malesu-Mata Kitchen 1 Traditional building 10,000 vatu
Chief Manasulapa Kitchen 1
Other house 1
Toilet
Traditional building
Iron roofing
Semi-permanent
10,000 vatu
20,000 vatu
15,000 vatu
Chief Manapanga-
Rrave
Kitchen 1
Sleeping house 1
Bathroom 1
Toilet 1
Traditional build
Semi-permanent
Traditional build
VIP Toilet
10,000 vatu
300,000 vatu
5000 vatu
5000 vatu
Chief Maraki-Vakalo Kitchen 1
Sleeping house 1
Toilet 1
Traditional build
Semi-permanent
10,000 vatu
100,000 vatu
Chief Mase-Koto Sleeping house 1
Kitchen 1
Bathroom 1
Toilet 1
Traditional build
Traditional build
Semi-permanent
Semi-permanent
20,000 vatu
10,000 vatu
6000 vatu
6000 vatu
Taserei Titus Kitchen 1
Bathroom 1
Traditional build
Iron roofing
10,000 vatu
5000 vatu
Tasaruru Whitely
Leipakoa Milton Kitchen 1
Other house 1
Iron roofing
Traditional build
10,000 vatu
10,000 vatu
Marie Thomas Sleeping house 1
Kitchen 1
Toilet 1
Bathroom 1
Traditional build
Traditional build
Iron roofing
Iron roofing
10,000 vatu
10,000 vatu
5000 vatu
5000 vatu
Marceline Jerry Kitchen 1
Bathroom 1
Toilet 1
Traditional build
Traditional build
Traditional build
10,000 vatu
5000 vatu
5000 vatu
Mere-Sauwia
Community
Community hall 1
Other house 1
Permanent
permanent
2000,000 vatu
500,000 vatu
Mere-Sauwia
Community
Bathroom 1
Toilet 1
Permanent
permanent
100,000 vatu
100,000 vatu
Total:3,257.000 vatu
Table.3.

8. Family N# of
garden
damaged
N# of
yam
N# of
banana
N# of
taro
N# of
wild
yams
N# of
manioc
N# of
kumala
Estimate
cost in VT
Chief
Marimasoe-
Tavakalo
5 100 100 80 20 100 30 200,000
Chief
Malesu-
Mata
5 100 150 60 23 70 30 200,000
Chief
Manasu-
Lapa
4 150 100 100 20 90 40 200,000
Chief
Manapanga-
Rrave
4 60 100 100 40 80 30 200,000
Chief
Maraki-
Vakalo
3 90 100 100 20 80 30 200,000
Chief mase-
Koto
2 80 100 90 15 70 50 200,000
Taserei Titus 7 250 230 200 30 150 70 250,000
Leipakoa
Milton
3 60 90 50 18 100 30 150,000
Marie
Thomas
2 50 100 50 20 50 26 150,000
Marceline
Jerry
3 50 60 50 23 50 20 150,000
Mere-
Sauwia
Community
1 0 50 0 20 0 0 90,000
Tasaruru
Whitely
2 50 50 100 10 60 20 150,000
Total:
2,050,000
Fruit trees
Fruit tree that are also used as food to sustain daily livelihood, as well us contribute to health food
promotion and use as economical resource for the people of Mere-Sauwia are damage. Some of the
fruit trees’ trunks are just stand without leaves and small branches. And of course fruit tree will take
more than 24 month to reproduce fruit and food for human, animals and birds.

9. Fruit trees (mango, nakatambol anf nantao) standing without leave and small branches (Photo by Taman Willie OMESMAS)
Pandanus tree
Mere-Sauwia as an isolated area with limited economical resource to provide income generation,
pandanus plays a very important role as the mamas weave them and sell them at the market to earn
money, to meet children school fees and other home need, however most of the pandanus leaves
on pandanus trees are destroyed and can only be recovered within 24 to 36 months.
pandanus tree with torn leaves.
Tatch (Natangura tree)/wild cane
People living rural village area depend mainly on traditional material such as Natangura or wildcane
to cover their house with. Instead, the cyclone lives as with our Natangura stand with no leaves on
them. Natanagura will only put their new leaves after 12 to 24 months. Wild canes are blown by the
cyclone and left thorn and broken and can only recover within 12 months.

10. natangura plant with no leaves as destroys by
cyclone PAM
Coconut trees
Many coconut trees are left destroyed with no leaves. Most of the coconut trees have lost their top
leaves and will longer grow and live.
Damage coconuts tree with no leaf.
Projects (Community)
The Mere-Sauwia village has several projects such as:
1. Nursery project
2. Fruit tree planting project
3. Conservation and management area project (terrestrial and marine)
4. And other non-mentioned proposed projects

11. These said projects have been damaged by the cyclone event tough some of the project are part of
the natural life cycle.
The Mere-Sauwia Community has been a lesson learn and a model to other communities in the
republic of Vanuatu.
The damage cause by cyclone has put a pause to our project. It is said that the total estimate cost for
the damage caused by the cyclone PAM is over 10,000,000 vatu (ten million vatu)
E. EFFECT OF THE DAMAGE
The effect of the cyclone damage will affect; Health and hygiene inclusive of food and water,
financial income, building construction renovation, and road access (infrastructure) or people of
Mere-Sauwia.
The cyclone damage effect will last for more than 12 to 24 months in order for people to regain our
normal life.
F. NEED RECOMMENDED TO BE SUPPLIED
It is reported after the assessment that the need to be supplies to the people of Mere-Sauwia is
as listed below:
 Clothing
 Food and clean water
 Sheltering material for individual house-hold and community
 Medicine and first aid
G. CONCLUSION
The Mere-Sauwia would like to give a conclusion to this assessment report that, this present
generation currently living in the village has taken this cyclone damage and experience as a lesson
learned. However it is time to think ahead and be prepared to face such disastrous situation and
issues.
H. REFFERENCE
MERE-SAUWIA COMMUNITY HALL BEFORE CYCLONE

12. Mere-Sauwia Community Hall and Mere-Sauwia Administration office after cyclone PAM
Right: Mere-Sauwia Conservation Area before cyclone PAM
left: Mere-Sauwia conservation area after
cyclone PAM

13. I. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Mere-Sauwia Community leaders and people would like to thank all the families, organization,
government or private, agencies and other people who have made their contribution in one way or
another to help the people of Vanuatu including Mere-Sauwia.