Brisbane's Vanuatu community strives to help loved ones struck by Cyclone Pam
Updated
Brisbane's Vanuatu and Pacific Island community hopes to help family and friends affected by Cyclone Pam by connecting with the south-east Queensland community to collect aid.
The small, close-knit community is using a Facebook page to gather goods and as well as connect with other groups helping in the recovery.
Cyclone Pam tore through the islands packing winds of up to 270 kilometres per hour. The UN has described it as one of the worst national disasters in the history of the Pacific.
Vanuatu Cyclone Relief Brisbane group's Kakae Pakoa told 612 ABC Brisbane's Rebecca Levingston the community was finding it hard to find family members on the islands.
"At this point we are in shock, as many of our families and relations live in remote areas around the islands," he said.
"We have not been in contact with them ... with all their power and phone networks down."
Fellow group member Alfred Quai said the challenges their family and friends face will be ongoing.
We are worried about our families and friends and we really worry about the families on the smaller islands.
Vanuatu Cyclone Relief Brisbane, Alfred Quai
"I come from the northern part of Vanuatu and from what we hear there are islands with no houses left ... they have been swept away," Mr Quai said.
"There is no petrol, no electricity or drinking water as the water is contaminated."
Mr Quai said warm weather would start affecting the recovery in coming days.
"We do not know what things are like, it is very hot though, so people will need shelters too," he said.
"We are worried about our families and friends and we really worry about the families on the smaller islands."
He hopes to help on the ground in Vanuatu in coming weeks.
"I plan to go over in the next couple of weeks when we get things here organised.
"We will help them get things together there."
Using social media to help
The group has started a Facebook page Vanuatu Cyclone Relief Brisbane to aid the islands badly damaged.
Mr Pakoa hopes that the small community can make a difference for loved ones in Vanuatu.
"We are only a small community here in Brisbane, but we are in contact with each other and in this situation we need the wider community," he said.
"There is a Vanuatu lady here in Brisbane who owns a freight company and she has donated a container to us that we will fill and send over."
A full list of international relief agencies helping the Pacific Nations can be found at ABC Appeals.
Topics: charities-and-community-organisations, human-interest, disasters-and-accidents, brisbane-4000
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