Takara, Efate Assessment Overview Date: 31/3/2015 Island: Efate Village: Takara Population: 302 people in 68 homes Synopsis All Hands Volunteers - DART assessment team visited Takara village located north of Port Vila, Efate to get an initial understanding of the damages due to Cyclone Pam. This location was determined due to connections to the village chief, and this village being a good representative of a typical Efate village outside of Port Vila. We met with the village chief who then introduced us to the Community Disaster Committee (CDC) of the village for a tour and assessment. The village appeared heavily damaged although residents were able to enter and live in affected area with no access restrictions. At least four agencies have previously visited or assessed the village, but little visual signs of aid were observed. However, there were signs of a considerable amount of self-capacity for cleanup of structures and debris visible throughout the the affected village. For information gathering we relied on first-hand accounts from villagers of their experience pre and post-Cyclone Pam. Assessment Team April Tatlonghari Gina Deave Tim Gorman Chloe Lyttle Impact       First impression of affected area was that there was considerable structural and agricultural damage that affected the vast majority of the village. No viable local source of potable drinking water present. Livelihoods appeared vastly affected – most sources of income come from small family gardens that were considerably damaged, rendering families unable to harvest crops for both subsidence and livelihoods. Villagers reported of a government program that will provide them with food until June. Unverified at this point. According to the CDC, of the 68 homes in the village, about 61 sustained significant damage. The land the village is ancestral land and therefore seems appropriate to rebuild on. Demographics       Majority of the village relies on agriculture for their livelihoods, they sell their vegetables and fruits in the market as their main source of income. Fruits and vegetables consist of but not limited to: - Copra - Squash - Yam - Sweet potato - Kava - corn 90% of homes/buildings/schools have been affected (see figures 1-3). The damages ranged from traditionally built homes (which were about 90% of total households) sustaining near total damage (but with the most potential for repair within community’s capacity), to homes of masonry/timber construction sustaining fair damage, and that being mostly damage to roofs. All homes are either individually or family owned, on ancestral land. Within the village there existed there no segments of the population which seemed better served or of better means. Vanuatu is one of the highest rated areas in the world being prone to natural disasters such as cyclones, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. As this village sits on the coast line, not only is it more susceptible to the high tides but also to ocean sprays as well. Needs     According to local reports - government officials, alongside INGO aid, have plans to help address the needs of affected area. According to the affected population, the highest needs were potable water (temporarily through water distribution and more permanently via water point repair), sanitation infrastructure (toilets) and money. Australia Aid had distributed small dome tents and distributed kits to Takara village, which included nails, wire snips, claw hammer, and hand saws. DART assessment also identified needs for building hardware and fasteners to enable shelter reconstruction and repair with salvaged or locally sourced materials. This has also been generally been mentioned within the Shelter Cluster. A two-classroom school building was completely lost (see figure 4). Children were not attending school at the moment and it was unclear when they would be able to return with the lack of safe classrooms. Response  Assessment outreach by humanitarian agencies and has been made, but emergent needs still do not appear to be appropriately addressed.    It is assumed by the assessment team that since the affected population reported plans for a government food distribution program, that there has been some form of government assessment and response to the area. Unclear of level of humanitarian agency communication and coordination in the response. The village chief, the affected community and the CDC were receptive and open to this assessment team, allowing thorough information gathering via first-hand accounts. Figures Nguna Port Vila Takara Village Figure 1. Location of Takara village on Efate Island, Vanuatu Figure 2. Concrete walls and trussed roof of the village church destroyed Figure 3. 90% of homes in the community had timber walls and a thatched roof, all of which were partially or completely damaged. Fig. 3. A partially damaged and flattened home. Many structures also had corrugated sheets as roof or walls. Fig. 4. The footprint of the classroom for Grade 1 and 2 of the Primary School once stood All Hands Volunteers Assessment Team Conclusion It is unclear, but probably unlikely, that an All Hands Volunteers debris removal and deconstruction project would address the unmet needs in Takara village at this time, for a few reasons:       Emergent life sustaining needs still need to be addressed first (potable water, food, toilets, though it’s possible we could help in this way i.e. WASH project, distributions, etc.). Although nearly 90% of shelters suffered damage, the affected population’s capacity to re-build seems high. Shelter needs seem to center around fasteners and hardware as materials seem to be able to be salvaged or locally sourced, as opposed to need for materials, labor, etc. Small village size. Lack of suitable local structures for a base, although others may be available elsewhere, like Port Vila. High humanitarian agency presence (although unclear yet as to their effect). All things considered, the size and scope of a potential project at this village or in the neighboring areas does not quite justify the cost and logistical challenges present early in this assessment phase to warrant starting a project.