President of Vanuatu Departs From Australian Air Force Base

Australia sent clean-up crews and shipments of aid supplies to Vanuatu on Tuesday, March 17, in the wake of Cyclone Pam, which hit the island nation over the weekend, killing at least 11 people. President Baldwin Lonsdale said in an interview with AP that much of Vanuatu’s infrastructure development had been wiped out. This video shows Lonsdale boarding a flight at Richmond Air Force Base in New South Wales.

The footage also shows an Australian Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Taskforce preparing to travel to assist with “clearing critical infrastructure,” including a hospital in Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila. According to the Royal Australian Air Force, the team was made up of 54 emergency workers, including fire officers from across New South Wales. Credit: YouTube/Royal Australian Air Force