Vanuatu declared a state of emergency on Friday after two earthquakes struck the Pacific nation in quick succession and a second cyclone lashed the country.
The first 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck at 1804 GMT off the northern island of Espiritu Santo at a depth of 10 kilometres, according to the US Geological Survey. Soon after, a 5.4 magnitude aftershock struck the island.
However, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said there was “no tsunami threat” from the initial earthquake.
Pacific Red Cross spokesman Soneel Ram told the news agency AFP that so far no casualties have been reported. Cyclone Judy had lashed the country with winds up to 200 kilometres (125 miles) per hour, just two days earlier.
When the quake struck, locals were already dealing with torn roofs and buildings from the cyclone. While the roads are still flooded, electricity and communications are still affected across the island country.
Dickinson Tevi, Secretary General of the Vanuatu Red Cross Society, had warned of the possibility of significant damage.
According to Tevi, “People on (Espiritu) Santo felt the earthquake but were unable to assess the damage due to high winds. They said they didn’t get much sleep because the earthquake happened while they were already awake from the cyclone.”
A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Espiritu Santo in January, causing villagers to flee to higher ground but causing no major damage.
According to the annual World Risk Report, Vanuatu is one of the most vulnerable countries to natural disasters such as earthquakes, storm damage, flooding, and tsunamis.