Telephone companies Vodafone, Spark and 2degrees are offering credit to New Zealand customers calling and texting to Vanuatu following the devastation of Cyclone Pam.
The tropical cyclone ripped through the Pacific island nation, leaving nearly half of the population scrambling to pick up the pieces.
Vodafone and Spark announced today charges for calls and texts made from 7pm on Friday until 7pm tonight will be refunded to customers' accounts. This includes mobile, residential and business calls made to landlines and mobile phones in Vanuatu.
2degrees will credit all mobile calls and texts made between midnight on Thursday and midnight tonight.
Vodafone consumer director Matt Williams says it is vital for people to be able to communicate with family and friends in a time of crisis.
"Our thoughts are with the people of Vanuatu and, in particular, those who have lost loved ones," he says.
"We hope that these measures will go some way to helping Kiwis keep in touch with loved ones in Vanuatu at this difficult time."
Spark New Zealand is presently working to restore internet communications in the island nation.
"Currently the outer islands use microwave links to stay in contact and most of these are down, so we are working to put a satellite-based solution in place to restore connectivity to the islands," says Spark Connect chief technology officer David Havercroft.
"We're working in concert with our partners to establish exactly what equipment is required, where it is located, the technical support needed on the ground and how we quickly get it out to them."
Mr Williams says Vodafone has also offered assistance to Vanuatu's local mobile operators to help with communication affected by the cyclone.
Although the worst of the storm has passed, aid workers say towns and villages have been flattened.
"The trees are shredded, there's power lines everywhere, there's corrugated iron roofing wrapped into strange shapes from the force of the wind," UNICEF's Alice Clements told Firstline from Port Vila by phone this morning.
Some shipments of aid supplies have reached Vanuatu, but Ms Clements says the human cost is making it difficult to distribute the supplies.
If you would like to contribute to the relief effort in Vanuatu, visit UNICEF's donation page or the Red Cross Pacific Disaster Fund.
Read more:
- Vanuatu an 'absolute catastrophe' following Cyclone Pam
- Cyclone Pam slowing, but still strong
- Tuvalu 'severely' hit by Cyclone Pam
3 News
source: newshub archive
