News

Cyclone Pam made a direct hit on Port Vila, the capital of the Republic of Vanuatu in the South Pacific Ocean, with wind speeds gusting over 300 km/h, a Category 5 storm and possibly one of the most severe to have ever been recorded in the South Pacific. Many buildings have been severely damaged as have electrical and communications infrastructure. Communications remain limited, but it is expected that there will be severe damage across many islands.

We are most grateful that our Vanuatu Manager, David Conwell and his support staff are in good shape. The McLaren’s office in Port Vila has fortunately sustained only minor damage and is expected to be operational early this week, possibly as early as Monday 16th.

In addition to our local staff, McLarens has assembled an experienced response team who have mobilised and will commence arriving on site Tuesday 17th. The response will be led by Ken McHugh, Manager South Pacific based in Fiji ,and will comprise internationally experienced Chartered Loss Adjusters, Surveyors and BI specialists to provide an immediate response considering the insurance market’s potential exposure for this event.

Our other McLarens offices in Australia and Fiji are immediately responding. With a presence throughout the Asia Pacific region, McLarens is well equipped to assist both local and global insurance markets (with support from global resources as necessary).

Organisations with interests in the impacted areas may contact their regular McLarens representative, or Ken McHugh listed below, to place instructions or loss reports.

We will advise further once our Port Vila office is fully operational, at which time it will become the centre of operations.