An earthquake, a volcano eruption and then the cyclone Pam. Vanuatu island, a small Island of Ambrym, has been hit by a run of misfortune within the space of just a few weeks, when three natural disasters destroyed the small island.
The 6.5 earthquake happened two weeks ago, followed by a volcano eruption, for the first time in 100 years, and to make matters worse, a category five cyclone.
Aid agencies have begun trying to access the smaller outer island, but the flooding has prevented their planes from landing in certain areas.
The population is in desperate need of drinking water, food and shelter as over ten thousand residents are left homeless.
The crops they rely on for food have been destroyed by the cyclone and the regular supplies from other islands have dried up.
There are open shops stocked with canned foods in the capital, but many locals cannot afford it.
The BBC has discovered, that since the disaster, people on the island have to drink harmful saltwater, following the cyclone, and health is a severe issue as the city's hospital is extremely damaged.
After revising the earlier figure of 24 on the death toll, the United Nations said on Tuesday that the official death toll from the cyclone was 11. However, this number is thought to rise once the outer islands are more thoroughly inspected.
In Vanuatu capital, Port Vila, the cleanup is progressing after several trees were uprooted and homes were flattened.
Nevertheless, the worries about food scarcity and health still persist.
On Monday 2nd March, the Vanuatu Geohazards Observatory warned that although the volcanic activity at Ambrym has decreased slightly it remains unstable. The volcanic alert was lowered from level 3 to level 2, but the areas in close proximity to and around the volcanic craters remain in danger.
Despite the volcano's silence for over 100 years, the Yasur volcano, in southern Vanuatu is still considered one of the world's most active volcanoes, erupting many times per hour in the last 800 years. The Yasur Volcano, also known as the "Lighthouse of the Pacific" because of its regular Strombolian eruptions visible
The villagers of Ambrym count themselves lucky that the damages were not more extensive. They are, however, still in need of assistance to reconstruct their lives. On the other hand, the seaside village of Wuro that lies at the end of a sandy path, black with volcanic ash, has remained untouched by the natural disasters.
The buildings, whether with roofs of corrugated iron or thatched palm leaves, are all intact.
