Melsisi

Melsisi

Interview with Principal of Melsisi College

Melsisi is Pentecost’s largest town, with an almost ‘urban’ feel. It is estimated that around 95% of all buildings in Melsisi have been destroyed by Cyclone Harold. Crops, too, are utterly devastated. Due to the terrain, experts believe that Melsisi may have been the hardest hit place of anywhere in Vanuatu.

In this sombre interview, the Principal of Melsisi College, Mr Nepathier, gives us an indication of the damage caused to Melsisi College. The backdrop of the fallen cathedral – previously the largest place of worship in Vanuatu – is emblematic of the utter destruction that occurred in the francophone town of Melsisi in West Pentecost, also the largest town on the island. A small silver lining of the coronavirus pandemic is that none of the hundreds of primary and secondary students that would ordinarily have been boarding at the schools in Melsisi were present at the time of the cyclone, thanks to the national State of Emergency put in place by the governement a few days prior.

Mr Nepathier points out that it took 100 years to build Melsisi up to where it was, but it took Harold just one hour to completely destroy it. He appeals to the international community to help them ‘stand Melsisi up’ once again.

Interview Summary

It seems this is the worst affected place that we have seen so far. In the backdrop is the remains of the biggest church in the country. All the houses have been destroyed and all the trees are missing leaves and branches. The loss to families is clearly profound. All the coconut trees have fallen down and there are no leaves; the only thing that is green is the grass. Harold has completely destroyed this community.

The principal starts by giving thanks for visiting the area. He informs us that 90% of the school is damaged. There are 15 classrooms, only 5 are still standing. They have no windows or doors. The remaining classrooms are now being used as storage for disaster release. There are 235 students at Melsisi College. At the time of the cyclone, most of the students had been sent home due to Corona Virus which was fortunate, as now they at least don’t have to worry about the students. There are usually 150 students in the primary school. The science lab, computer lab, the kitchen, the bakery, and library have been destroyed. Everything has been completely destroyed. It is going to take them years to be able to rebuild all of these things. Nobody expected the cyclone to be as bad as it was. No-one expected this level of damage. They did hear some warnings and tried to secure the computer and science lab but the wind was too strong so, by the morning, all the windows had been smashed. All the plywood that had been nailed to the windows to protect them had been blown away. All the computers had been blown from their benches and been smashed on the ground. The vast majority of computers will not work anymore.

Melsisi is unlike other places because a lot of the inhabitants have two houses- one I the city and one in their villages. This means that the actual number of people in Melsisi at the time was not as high as it could have been. The principal estimates around 60 people were there at the time of the hurricane. However, the teachers the provincial staff and hospital staff were in Melsisi at the time of the cyclone. 

They heard the warning on Monday afternoon and the Cyclone arrived Monday evening. There was a house in a more sheltered location and this was the house that saved the lives of most of the people on Melsisi. The whole village ad to take shelter in one or two houses that were deemed more robust. There were a lot of injuries, mostly due to flying sheets of roofing which were wind born during the cyclone and glass, causing serious cuts. The most serious injury was caused by a brick wall falling onto a lady, one of the teachers at the school. She died from her injuries. 

The teacher ends by saying that everyone needs help. It took 100 years to get Melsisi to the way it was and within an hour it has been destroyed. He hopes that people can come together to raise Melsisi from the ground again. The teacher thinks it will take between 5-10 years to rebuild and for life to return to normal dependent on many factors which have extra complications due to corona virus.