Julia Edwards is working with the Pacific Conference on Churches on climate change adaptation on Fiji, funded by the Methodist church .  She was previously at Heriot Watt University.  She shares her impressions and stories of the storm:

 

Thanks for your email and concerns.  Fiji virtually escaped the effects of Pam, but the devastation in Vanuatu is almost unbelievable, and Tuvalu, too, has been very badly hit by flooding.” 

“The Pacific Conference of Churches has been trying to contact the various council of churches in Vanuatu, Kiribati and Solomon Islands all day without success, but tonight I’ve just come across the secretary general of the Vanuatu Council of Churches, Pastor Shem Tema, being interviewed by World Vision, as a member of a community outside of Port Vila that was badly affected.  The broadcast is on the Guardian website:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/mar/16/vanuatu-residents-evacuation-centre-cyclone-pam-world-vision-video

So it’s very understandable that it will be a few days before we get news through official church channels.  Once we (PCC) know respective church responses on the ground, I’ll get back to you.  In the meantime, very much holding them in our thoughts and prayers. 

 

Best wishes,
Julia