Fighting Against Time and Tropical Cyclones: The Struggle of Coastal Communities in the Pacific

“Resmi, Creoni, Maurine…” Aruchina holds out her hand when counting each of her nine children.  

Seated with her daughter on the porch of their coastal home in Uman Island of Chuuk, she is surrounded by at least a dozen children running on and off the porch, chit-chatting and stealing glances at the new faces in their home.  

“I was born and raised on this land. My parents grew up here,” Aruchina says.

She and her ten other family members were inside their house the day Typhoon Wutip hit.

“As you know, here, we don’t live in a house with just one family; we have the mother and father, their children, and their children’s children living together. When the typhoon hit, half of them went to higher ground while the rest sought refuge in the neighbor’s house down the road,” Aruchina recalls the typhoon that destroyed their home.

What started out as a weak tropical disturbance southwest of the Marshall Islands had drifted northwest towards the outer islands of Pohnpei, Chuuk and Yap States, picking up intensity, with wind gusts of up to 100 mph in parts of Chuuk.  

The tropical storm caused great destruction along its path, as traditional Chuukese houses like that of Aruchina were brought to the ground. Destroyed crops and contaminated wells had left an estimated number of 11,500 residents across FSM in vulnerable conditions. 

Aruchina's disability limits her from walking with ease. She sits on the floor of the porch and shares her story. She continues to explain how she and her family took shelter at their neighbor’s house, a spacious, sturdy concrete structure where numerous others from the neighborhood ran to take refuge that day. They stayed there during the next few months after the Typhoon, helping each other to make sure everyone was fed, boiling water from reserves to avoid using contaminated water, and planning their next move. 

Following the disaster, Aruchina and her family were supported through initial emergency assistance by the State Disaster Coordinating Office. The family was also identified through a Joint Damage Assessment conducted by the FSM and United States Governments for reconstruction assistance under the Resilience Building in the Compact Nations (RESILIENCE) project. The project, implemented by the International Organization for Migration in partnership with the Government of FSM, supported the reconstruction of homes that were destroyed by the tropical storm and renovated or rebuilt public facilities like clinics, schools and community centers.

Engineered to withstand heavy winds, torrential rains and flooding, the RESILIENCE project houses are constructed on stilts about one meter above ground and completed with storm shutters on all six windows of the structure. Each house is also equipped with a 1,600-gallon capacity water tanker to enable households to harvest rainwater and drainage systems that divert polluted water and minimize contamination. In the case of Aruchina, a seven-meter ramp was also installed on the path to enter their home to ensure she could easily enter and exit the house in her wheelchair.

Aruchina and her family were thrilled to have received a newly constructed home built on the same property, where the family has lived for generations. “I don’t worry when it’s high tide now,” she says, “and the ramp helps me get around.” 

Despite now living in a safer, more weather-resistant home, the risks remain high for Aruchina and similar coastal communities in the FSM. July of 2023 has been one of the hottest months globally with record high temperatures recorded across the globe. The United Nations World Meteorological Oranization has further declared 2023 an El Niño year and finds that ocean temperatures in the central Pacific have risen by nearly 1 °C since February 2023. Coupled with other climatic influences, the data indicates that the likelihood of another tropical cyclone is not improbable in the Pacific region.

For the tiny island of Uman, where no more than 2,500 people reside, coastal communities worry, with every rising tide and with every changing season, whether their house will be flooded today, or if the heated sea will carry another strong and mighty storm to their doorstep. The risks are particularly compounded for households like Aruchina’s, where people with disabilities, elderly and young children may experience physical limitations, health disparities or mobility challenges if placed in situations of greater vulnerability. 

Despite the citizens of FSM being strong and resilient people, the need for human security for such coastal communities is indisputable. Preparedness and response efforts by Governments, first responders and communities themselves can go a long way in minimizing damages and loss. Importantly, the collective efforts of civil society to take climate action and advocate for sustainable climate solutions are vital in maintaining the well-being of individuals like Aruchina, a backbone to her family and the community at large. 

Operational in the FSM and Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), the RESILIENCE project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), aims to enhance the capacity of the Governments of FSM and RMI to prepare for and respond to disaster events. Under the project, IOM mobilizes construction materials and, in collaboration with community working groups, reconstructs homes severely damaged by Typhoon Wutip in three of the most affected island states in the FSM, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Yap.