Travel advice for Vanuatu – Severe Tropical Cyclone

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has raised the level of the travel advice for Vanuatu to "reconsider your need to travel".

Tropical Cyclone Pam is moving in the vicinity of Vanuatu and is predicted to pass close to Port Vila this afternoon as a category 5 cyclone. It will then continue southward through TAFEA province. Hurricane-strength winds, storm surges, heavy rains, flooding and extremely rough seas can be expected for SHEFA and TAFEA provinces.

Australians in Vanuatu should take precautions by sheltering early and following the advice of local authorities. The precise path of the cyclone is difficult to predict. Australians should monitor the media and the website of the Vanuatu Meteorological Service for updates.

The Australian High Commission in Port Vila will be closed from Friday 13 March 2015 to ensure the safety of High Commission staff. However, staff are on duty in Port Vila.

Australians in Vanuatu in need of consular assistance should call the 24 hour Consular Emergency Centre in Canberra on +61 2 6261 3305 or +678 22777.

Australians planning travel to Vanuatu in the near future should monitor the situation closely, subscribe to the Smartraveller advice for Vanuatu, and defer any decisions on travel until after the cyclone has passed.

Flights in and out of Vanuatu are likely to be affected. Australians should contact their airline directly for further information.

We are monitoring the humanitarian impact closely and are preparing a potential response to this emergency.