Transcript
Andrew Parker says the National Disaster Management Office is coordinating the assessment and response to the disaster and the fact the government issued a red alert warning yesterday indicates the government is taking the situation seriously.
Mr Parker says at this stage there have been no reports of any casualties and people are more aware of how to stay safe after their experience of cyclone Pam three years ago.
"We're hopeful that the use of traditional materials and the work that's been done by the government and their partners post TC Pam in terms of preparedness have equipped the families on the ground fairly well."
Andrew Parker says Unicef has some staff on Ambae and the agency will contribute to the cyclone response effort once it has met with other agencies and the Vanuatu government to formulate a plan.
Denny Manvoi a Red Cross worker in Port Vila says reports overnight from Malekula suggest many houses have been blown out and gardens and crops have been wrecked.
He confirmed school classrooms were also damaged on Ambrym but there have been no reports of any injuries and the principal says the children are safe.
He estimates 20 to 30 per cent of houses on Malekula may be damaged or destroyed with the north of the island sustaining the worst effects of the cyclone.
"Most of the houses that have been blown out from the cyclone Hola was you know the traditional houses in the communities, that's one of the most vulnerable houses that we have in the islands, most of these have been blown out."
Denny Manvoi says many people stayed in evacuation centres such as churches overnight as the cyclone passed.
He says there does not appear to be any major damage in the Port Vila area and Hola has now moved away to the southwest of Vanuatu and intensified as it heads towards New Caledonia.
A fishing tour operator on Lifou in New Caledonia's Loyalty Island group says he is preparing for the cyclone by cleaning up away loose items from around his home that could fly around, buying food and water supplies and stocking up on candles.
Alex Rigourd says it is quite common for the water and power to be out for three or four days when the islands are hit by bad weather.
He says people are securing their boats ahead of the cyclone's arrival.
"They just make sure that, the owners make sure that they are really safe, in the water. And the others that can take out of the water, the boat out of the water, they just do it, they take out their boat and tie them really tight on the road."
Mr Rigourd says some houses are easily damaged as their corrugated iron roofs are held on with rocks but people often go to the strongest houses of extended family members in a storm.
The New Caledonia weather service says Hola is expected to spend the night from Friday to Saturday very near the Loyalty Islands at the stage of intense tropical cyclone, causing gusts around 200 km/hr.