One year after the Vanuatu earthquake, the emotional aftershocks continue

Rescue teams excavate survivors trapped in collapsed buildings in Port Vila on December 18. Photo: Agence France-Presse

A year after the 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck Vanuatu, the ground has stopped shaking, but the emotional aftershocks continue.

The buildings that made up Port Vila are long gone, reduced to piles of rubble in what was once the bustling center of the city.

What started as an ordinary Tuesday morning ended with 14 people dead, hundreds injured and thousands displaced.

The economic impact was significant and estimated at approximately US$200 million, equivalent to 17 percent of the country's GDP.

One man is still missing, believed to have been buried under a landslide that is difficult to excavate.

With the parade and vigil taking place in Port Vila on Wednesday, people are gathering to reflect on what has been lost, what has been learned, and what still lies ahead on the road to recovery and rebuilding.

Dickinson Tefi, Secretary General of the Vanuatu Red Cross Society, hopes the anniversary program will bring some closure to the families.

Tevye said the memory of that day is still fresh.

He added: “There is some uncertainty. I think the memories are still fresh… There are feelings of fear.”

Kizi Kalsakau, evening news producer at Vanuatu's Buzz FM, said the earthquake had left society changed forever.

She said this shows in the way people respond to even the smallest tremors.

“We all have trauma that we've gone through and it stays with us,” Calsakau said.

“It's not the same anymore… When there's a three-magnitude earthquake, we run up the stairs and out of the buildings.”

She hopes the anniversary vigil will encourage healing.

“This will be a closure for us. We have to move forward, we have to rebuild, and we have to think about the future.”

Photo: Agence France-Presse

Port Vila was the most affected by the earthquake.

While some companies and offices are now operating on the outskirts of the city, the central business district appears empty.

Calsakow describes it as “like walking into a ghost town.”

However, they indicate that demolition operations are underway, removing damaged buildings to make way for new construction.

“They're starting to zone. So, those empty spaces won't stay empty forever. They're starting to rebuild again.”

Evan Oswald and the Nambawan Cafe staff temporarily moved to Saralana Park during the CBD closure. Photo: Supplied/Evan Oswald

Nambawan Café owner Ivan Oswald was at home playing with his children when the quake struck.

With communications cut off, he was unable to contact his wife or any of the children's other parents for hours.

Oswald said he had never witnessed a disaster of this severity.

“It was amazingly crazy. Obviously we've been through hurricanes a lot, we're used to devastation, but nothing of this magnitude or impact on the country.”

Fortunately, the café staff were evacuated in time.

With the CBD closed, Oswald set up a pop-up café in a tent, powered by his electric car. This was enough to keep his employees employed and busy until they were allowed to return to their café.

With many buildings destroyed or closed, business has been slow.

But Oswald said even though it's been a tough year, local business owners can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“Everyone is looking forward to Christmas and moving forward,” he said.

“I think people can see the light coming, or the growth, the change, the positivity of next year, moving forward, and what can be done in the city to make Port Vila a better place.”

“It's definitely coming back slowly, and things won't really change until the buildings are built.”

Evan Oswald and the Nambawan Cafe staff temporarily operated the cafe in a tent powered by his electric truck. Photo: Supplied/Evan Oswald

For Jane Iateka, president of the Port Vila City Women's Council, the quake sent violent shockwaves through families and homes.

Police responded to nearly 50 cases of assault, mostly against women, and about 10 other cases of gender-based violence in the first month after the earthquake.

This adds to what was already a difficult time, Iateka said.

“There was a lot of shock for women and children because this is the first time ever that Vanuatu has experienced such a large earthquake that has damaged the city itself and the local communities as well.”

But she said a lack of local resources makes it difficult to respond effectively.

“International donors fund this work with women against violence, but… [Vanuatu] The government itself does not put any money into the organization. “That is why there is not enough focused awareness work in communities, especially in Port Vila.”

Iatica wants to see more support and cooperation to reduce the rates of domestic violence in the country.

Police estimated that violence increased by two percent shortly after the earthquake.

“Right now, the rate of domestic violence is very high here in Vanuatu, and from what I hear, the region probably has the highest number of domestic violence in the Pacific.

He asked, “What will we do if this number increases more and more every year? Will we find a way to solve this problem?”

“I want us to work on a common goal…so we can work together on this domestic violence here.”

“Show compassion for those who have suffered.”

Mental health support is another critical gap.

The Port Vila MP – and Minister of Climate Change, Energy, Meteorology, Geological Hazards, Environment and Disaster Management – said there were not enough resources to address concerns, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychological trauma following the earthquake.

“We have a small unit in the hospital that deals with mental health, but it's more of a community practice within the community as well.”

It encourages the community to come together to heal.

“Celebrating the first anniversary will be part of that healing process, we just need to pay the right attention and the right approach and show compassion to those who have suffered the most.”

Rescuers search for people trapped after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake in Vanuatu. Photo: Supplied/Vanuatu Police Force

For Regenvanu, the earthquake exposed shortcomings in disaster response plans.

“It is now clear that we should have allowed heavy machinery into the area earlier so they could lift some of the collapsed buildings and rescue some of the people who were underneath. But this is the first time we have faced a disaster of this magnitude… We did not get the machinery in time to save some lives.”

He said this harsh lesson led to change.

“The machines have now been identified, and we're just hoping that the new systems we've put in place will enable us to get those machines to any building that collapsed much faster than we did last time.”

He said the government would be better prepared the next time such a disaster strikes.

Photo: AFP/Stringer

As the new year approaches, Regnavano looks forward to seeing the city begin to rebuild. The focus so far has been on demolishing damaged buildings and removing rubble from the city

Vanuatu's Recovery Operations Centre, established just weeks before the earthquake, is now overseeing what is expected to be a five-year rebuilding project.

Peter Kurisa, head of the Recovery Coordination Unit, said their unit started working sooner than expected.

“The recovery process has been announced for two years – 2025 to 2026 after which work will continue over the next three years.”

Financing such a large redevelopment is a challenge, and Vanuatu will ask international partners for help, Kurisa said.

“We have to do some work in terms of proper design and risk mapping so that helps us have a clear strategy on how to work in terms of seeking help elsewhere to support us.”

New building standards have also been put in place to ensure that new constructions comply with certain standards to prevent them from sustaining severe damage in earthquakes.

Regenvano said the legislation comes after it was discovered that the affected buildings were not in compliance with the rules.

“A lot of these buildings were built using building permits that were not issued properly for various reasons: corruption, lack of due diligence… that kind of thing.”

He said the government would be proactive to ensure construction standards were implemented.

“We have an opportunity to do things better and do them right, but it will take careful planning.”

Photo: Facebook/Michael Thompson

Kalsakau said the people of Vanuatu would rise up and Port Vila would be reborn.

“We call ourselves resilient people, but an earthquake is an unpredictable thing. The only thing we do is survive it, then we move forward and rebuild.”

“We are still standing, remembering yesterday, rebuilding today, and rising tomorrow.”

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