Port Vila faces a potential mass exodus after the devastating earthquake

The 7.3 magnitude disaster caused widespread damage, especially in the heart of Port Vila, leaving more than 70 shops unable to operate. Photo: Vanuatu Police Force

Following the devastating earthquake that struck the country in December, many people in the capital, Port Vila, were displaced and unemployed.

The 7.3-magnitude earthquake on December 17 killed 14 people and displaced nearly 1,500 people from their homes.

The country's interim government has restricted access to Port Vila's central business district (CBD) as the recovery continues.

Without access to CBD, people have been left unemployed, said Charles Sumbi, a journalist with the Vanuatu Broadcasting Corporation (VBTC).

“People will either move to the other city and maybe to the north, we don't know unless the CBD is set up in a place where people can go back to work, otherwise there will be a fear that everyone will participate in the labor mobility scheme,” Sombe said.

Restrictions remain in place in parts of the capital Port Vila following the 7.3 magnitude earthquake on 17 December 2024. Photo: Vanuatu Police Force

He said that according to the National Disaster Management Office, it will take two years for the CBD to return to normal.

People are “forcing themselves” to return to normal life as best they can, Sumbi said.

Meanwhile, Vanuatu's Ministry of Education estimates that rebuilding damaged schools will cost more than $8 million.

Malabua College is responsible for about half the cost, policy director John Gideon told Vanuatu's Daily Post.

He added that 45 schools, most of them in Port Vila, were damaged.

The University of the South Pacific (USP) Emalus campuses and centers remain closed.

Save the Children Vanuatu country director Polly Banks said nearly 13,000 children would need a temporary educational solution when they returned to school due to damage caused by the earthquake.

In 2023, the country was also hit by three severe typhoons.

“We know that different areas of education are declining, so for example, literacy rates are not improving but going in the other direction, and that is directly linked to the number of days lost in school and especially climate-induced disasters like hurricanes.”

Banks said that children are suffering from the psychological effects of the earthquake.

Among the 14 dead were two children, and about 700 children were displaced from their homes.

Banks said five child-friendly spaces have been established in Port Vila and surrounding communities.

“We've reached over 550 kids through those child-friendly spaces, and they provide a really important place for kids to come and feel safe and secure and receive that psychosocial support, but also just a place for them to come and have a little fun and joy and fun in their lives.”

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