The International Charter: Space and Major Disasters was activated to support response efforts in Vanutua with satellite-based maps. Vanuatu was heavily affected by Cyclone Pam on 13 and 14 March 2015 causing huge devastation. The mechanism was triggered by UNITAR/UNOSAT on behalf of UNOCHA. UNITAR/UNOSAT has already produced and made available several maps, which can be downloaded from the International Charter's website.
The International Charter reported: "Recovery efforts began shortly after the storm passed, and international aid has been arriving in the archipelago. Tens of thousands of people are known to have been left homeless. But the southern islands are of great concern to emergency workers, as communications were severed with them by the storm. The full extent of the situation on these islands is unknown, and flooding from the cyclone has made it difficult or impossible for planes to land on the islands."
