Dan McGarry: journalist on the current state of Vanuatu following deadly 7.3 earthquake

Fresh drinking water is an ongoing worry for those in Vanuatu following yesterday's 7.3 magnitude earthquake. 

Early reports estimate hundreds are injured and more than a dozen people have died.

New Zealand search and rescue teams, equipment and supplies are currently on their way.

The airport is only open to humanitarian assistance - and the port is out of action.

Vanuatu-based journalist Dan McGarry says power is out and water's being restored very slowly. 

"We lost two large-capacity water tanks on the hills just outside of town, so water supply is going to be a continuing concern."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Seven after six News talk ZB. In just a few moments,
we are looking at S and P global ratings. What
are they saying about the government's books we revealed yesterday.
Right now, key We search and rescue teams are preparing
to fly to Vanuatu in the next few hours. Early
reports estimate hundreds have been injured. More than a dozen
people have died. This after yesterday's seven point three earthquake.

(00:21):
There is little to no electricity, running water or fuel.
Journalist Dan McGarry is with us from Vanuatu. Dan, thanks
for being on the program. First of all, where exactly
are you and what's going on where you are right now?

Speaker 2 (00:35):
I'm in Portfelo, the capital, which was about thirty four
to thirty five kilometers away from the epicenter of the earthquake.
It is because it's the most built up area on
this island. It's the area that has experienced the most damage.
We've seen buildings destroyed, you know, I'm sure you've seen
the images and widespread damage to a great many buildings,

(01:00):
especially in the city center. We have seen massive landslides.
They're visible from over a kilometer away down in the
area right beside our national shipping or international shipping terminal
that's been closed. The entire facility is out of bounds now,

(01:21):
as is the downtown area in Port Vila. Power is off,
water is being restored very slowly to local neighborhoods. We
lost two large capacity water tanks on the hills just
outside of town, and so water supply is going to

(01:42):
be a continuing concern. We've also seen the National Disaster
Management Office is reporting fourteen dead, two hundred injured, and
they expect that the casualty figure will increase in the
next day or so.

Speaker 1 (01:59):
Have they still full of finding people alive?

Speaker 2 (02:03):
I've heard that. You know, rescue operations are ongoing. Somebody
told me that they had pulled somebody out. I haven't
been able to confirm it, so I won't speculate. However,
we do know that there were four bodies recovered wreckage
in the last twenty four hours or so.

Speaker 1 (02:21):
So the port is basically out of action because of
the landslide. What about the airfield? What about the airport?

Speaker 2 (02:29):
There were cracks reported on the edge of the tarmac,
so I think prior to any plane landing, they're going
to need to get engineers to take a close look
at the extent of the damage. So it's just too
soon to say what's going on. But there are no
flights incoming or outgoing at this time. There were overflights

(02:51):
by Royal Australian Air Force and New Zealand Air Force
planes to do aerial surveys, but I don't think that
any of them have landed.

Speaker 1 (03:01):
Is that a problem that we can't you can't get
frightened or can't get any ear freighton at the moment?
Are people in need of water or food or supplies.

Speaker 2 (03:10):
We've got enough because we're you know, we import almost
everything by ship. You know, we're used to having a
fairly large standing stock of essentials. But with these two
facilities constrained and possibly offline, that's a really significant concern
in terms of resupply. And so you can imagine, you know,

(03:33):
there are a lot of people who are waiting anxiously
to see just what the extent of the damage was,
especially down in the container port.

Speaker 1 (03:40):
All right, take here Dan, that's Dan McGarry who's a
journalist based in Portville, Nawatu. For more from Hither Duplessy
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