UPDATE: Earlier today, March 17, 2015, the Vanuatu Port Vila Mission President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Larry Brewer, made contact with missionary leaders on the island of Tanna. The leaders confirmed that all 11 missionaries on Tanna are safe and accounted for. LDS Leaders also confirmed that missionaries serving on the Efate, Santo, Malekula and Gaua islands are accounted for and safe. The LDS Church is continuing to establish contact with missionaries on other outer islands.
Tomorrow, the Church will send a small plane from Port Vila to Tanna with two missionaries on board. These missionaries will bring food and other supplies to provide relief to the suffering victims of the cyclone. The 11 missionaries on Tanna will return on that same plane back to Port Vila.
Cyclone Pam hit Vanuatu, Fiji early Saturday, and leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints struggled to locate two missionaries who were unaccounted for all weekend. The two missionaries were found and accounted for today.
Missionaries on the outer islands have yet to be accounted for, but were moved to a safe location at the warning of the cyclone.
“All missionaries in the mission, including those on remote islands, were notified before the cyclone arrived, and moved to the safest location in each respective island,” said Vanuatu Port Vila Mission President, Larry Brewer in the Mormon Newsroom statement.
Church leaders are in the process of evaluating the devastation of Cyclone Pam to determine how they can be of greatest help in relief efforts. Cyclone Pam was said to be one of the worst storms in Pacific history. According to USA Today, winds reached up to 168 mph when the storm was in its strongest stage.
“Phone lines are down in the remote nation of Tuvalu, where the two unaccounted for missionaries from the church’s Suva Fiji Mission are living, so leaders have not been able to reach them,” Elder Adolf Johansson said in a news release.
Many members are gathering in Church buildings as their homes and belongings were completely destroyed in the storm.
“We are deeply concerned for Latter-day Saints and all others caught in the path of this devastating cyclone,” Elder Kevin W. Pearson, the Church’s Pacific Area President, said in the news release. “We are praying for their safety, and are working to understand where our resources will be needed in the coming days so we can assist as quickly and as effectively as we can.”
