page_title: Cyclone Harold
section_title: Vanuatu
hierarchical_section_title: Cyclone Harold / Preparations and impact / Vanuatu
caption_attribution_description: English: Severe Tropical Cyclone Harold on April 4, 2020
context_page_description: Severe Tropical Cyclone Harold was a very powerful tropical cyclone which caused widespread destruction in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, and Tonga during April 2020. It was the first Category 5 tropical cyclone in 2020. It was first noted as a developing tropical low within a trough of low pressure during April 1, while it was located to the east of Papua New Guinea. Over the next day, the system moved south-eastwards over the Solomon Sea, before it was classified as a tropical cyclone and named Harold by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. The system moved into the Fiji Meteorological Service's area of responsibility on April 2 and began to explosively intensify by April 3, reaching Category 4 status by April 4 on both scales. The next day, it further strengthened into a Category 5 severe tropical cyclone, the highest rating on the Australian scale. It made landfall on Espiritu Santo on April 6. Shortly afterward, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center upgraded it to a Category 5-equivalent cyclone on the Saffir–Simpson scale. It maintained this status for only six hours before being downgraded back to Category 4.
context_section_description: On April 3, the Vanuatu National Disaster Management Office (VNDMO) issued a yellow alert—indicating the threat of a tropical cyclone within 12 hours—for Torba and Sanma provinces in Vanuatu. The Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department also issued a tropical cyclone warning for these areas. The yellow alert was upgraded to a red alert—the highest-level warning for Vanuatu—on April 4 following the upgrading of Harold to a Category 3 severe tropical cyclone, while yellow alerts were also issued for Malampa and Penama provinces. 
   
  Red alerts eventually encompassed Malampa, Penama, Sanma, and Torba provinces, with a yellow alert for Shefa Province. The VNDMO advised for all residents under the red alert to remain indoors. Normal activities were suspended to facilitate preparations and evacuations for Harold. Several evacuation centers were set up for those seeking safe housing as the storm approached.
  Hundreds of people evacuated to shelters in Espiritu Santo; disrupted communications in rural areas made estimates difficult, though an official with the Vanuatu Red Cross Society estimated as many as 1,000 people were housed in evacuation centres. On April 5, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) granted 50,000 CHF from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund to the Vanuatu Red Cross Society to help better position staff and aid resources prior to the storm's arrival, mobilizing over a thousand volunteers. Preparing for the storm in Luganville, hundreds of people were sent into evacuation centres before the storm. The Torba provincial headquarters in Sola served as a shelter for families. Development organisation Oxfam Australia coordinated with Vanuatuan agencies to develop a response plan for Harold. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade also devised a support package for both the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
  Harold was the first Category 5 severe tropical cyclone on the Australian scale to strike Vanuatu since Cyclone Pam in 2015, bringing gusts above 275 km/h (170 mph) and 250–450 mm (10–18 in) of rain. Approximately a third of Vanuatu's population was said to have been impacted by the storm across seven islands. Communications were lost in most of the affected areas, particularly in Vanuatu's northern provinces. Telecommunications company Vodafone reported loss of contact with the Banks Islands, Espiritu Santo, Malakula, and Pentecost Island. Connections were reestablished in the hardest-hit areas two days after Harold made landfall. Beginning prior to landfall, the cyclone's slow movement west of Vanuatu drew in copious moisture, resulting in heavy rainfall. Flash flooding forced people to evacuate their homes for higher ground in Espiritu Santo and damaged roads in Penama. On the island of Malakula, rivers overflowed their banks and inundated gardens. Farther south, Aneityum recorded 166 mm (6.5 in) of rain.
  Modelling from the European Commission's Joint Research Centre suggested that storm surge heights peaked at 0.8 m (2.6 ft) in Vanuatu. Damage was extensive in Espiritu Santo where Harold first made landfall. Ships were grounded on the shores of the island by the rough seas. Extensive defoliation and flooding occurred across northern Vanuatu. Water shortages and power outages began affecting Luganville, Espiritu Santo's largest city, prior to Harold's landfall. Heavy rainfall also threatened the contamination of Luganville's water supplies and washing out crops and roads, especially in low-lying areas. As the cyclone made landfall and moved through the city on April 6, the winds unroofed homes and downed trees. Some buildings were flattened by the storm, with one reduced to its foundation. Approximately 50–70 percent of buildings in the city were damaged; about half of homes suffered significant damage. Luganville Mayor Peter Patty stated “We are badly affected. We urgently need water, food and shelter at the moment. Many have lost their homes. Schools are destroyed. Electricity is down. I’m urgently calling for help. This is one of the worst experiences of my
caption: Harold nearing its first landfall on Espiritu Santo on April 4
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