THE ground shakes constantly, and for the 11,000 people living on Vanuatu’s Ambae Island, the threat from the rumbling giant above them is growing louder by the hour.
Authorities are racing against time as the Manaro Voui volcano continues to spew ash and toxic gas, with officials warning that a full-scale evacuation could be ordered at any moment.
The Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department has maintained an alert level of three, meaning a “minor eruption” is underway, with activity confined to the lake within the volcano’s crater. A three-kilometre no-go zone remains in place around the active vent.
A team from the National Disaster Management Office is currently on the ground, assessing the most affected areas to have them declared disaster zones. If the alert rises to level four, the entire island population will be forced to flee under emergency plans already approved by the cabinet.
But for many, the danger is already unbearable.
Acid rain from the volcanic emissions is burning crops, contaminating water supplies, and damaging homes. The Vanuatu Meteorology and Geohazards Department confirms the corrosive fallout has now spread beyond Ambae, reaching the islands of Santo, Malakula, Pentecost, and Ambrym – destroying food gardens and threatening regional food security.
Levu Antfalo, the department’s director, gave a sober assessment: “It burns their crops, pretty much anything that it gets in contact with, water as well.”
Climate Change Minister Ralph Regenvanu said this week that while a mandatory evacuation has not been ordered, those in the worst-hit areas are “encouraged to move to less affected parts of the island if they do not feel safe”. The Council of Ministers has approved 20 million vatu (US$170,000) for emergency assessments.
For families with nowhere else to go, that advice offers little comfort.
Local residents describe the volcano’s roar as so loud it causes ear pain and disrupts normal conversation. One man with relatives on East Ambae reported: “When people are speaking, you can’t hear the other person talking. It is causing ear pain because it is very loud and heavy.”
Ash plumes have been reaching up to 15,000 feet (approximately 4.6 kilometres), forcing aviation warnings across the region.
On Friday, Prime Minister Jotham Napat chaired an emergency meeting as activity intensified, with officials confirming that Penama province is preparing evacuation plans. Authorities say they are prepared for all scenarios.
But for those living in the shadow of the volcano, the waiting is the hardest part.
As one village elder put it: “The mountain speaks, and we must listen. But where do we go when the whole island is suffering?”