Estimates

one of the most costly disasters of theyear, causing losses of around $11 billion.Learning from experiences aheadof cyclone Phailin almost exactly a yearearlier, the Andhra Pradesh and Odishastate authorities increased their effortsto convince residents of coastal and hillcommunities that they should evacuatefor their own safety ahead of Hudhud. 44For thousands of people from the hilltribes, this was their first time to everleave their home areas. 45 The evacuationof around 600,000 people can be creditedwith helping to minimise fatalities. Whena huge storm hit the area 15 years earlier,10,000 people were killed. 45 State officialsput the death toll from Hudhud at 41 (seemap 4.3). 464.5 Small but significant: Impactson small island developing statesSIDS are usually among the worstaffected countries each year in relativeterms because of their size, location andtopography. Their mostly low-lying islandpopulations tend to be exposed to a rangeof hazards, particularly cyclones, floods,landslides, earthquakes and tsunamis,and when a disaster occurs it can affecta large part of the country.Over the last seven years, SIDS haveexperienced relative levels of displacementat around three times the averagefor all countries combined (see figure4.8.a). Haiti and Cuba have had the highestlevels of displacement among SIDSin both relative and absolute terms (seefigure 4.8.b).This pattern is also repeated in termsof the largest events of 2014 in relativeterms. Four out of the 10 largest eventstook place in SIDS, including disastersin the Pacific triggered by cyclone Ian inTonga, king tides in the Marshall Islands,floods in the Solomon Islands, and inthe Comoros Islands off the east coastof Africa also brought on by floods (seefigure 4.4.b).Cyclone Ian, a category five storm, becamethe most powerful ever to hit Tongaand caused the second largest displacementof the year relative to populationsize. An estimated 5,300 people wereforced to flee their homes, representingaround five per cent of the island’spopulation. 48 The government declared astate of emergency in Ha’apai and Vava’uon the day it made landfall. The Ha’apaiisland group suffered devastation acrossall sectors. Eighty per cent of its housingand many public facilities were damagedor destroyed. 49 Around 4,000 peopletook refuge in evacuation centres, mostof them set up in churches. 50Two months after the storm, 300 familiesin Ha’apai were still living in tents. 51Those in greatest need of housing assistance,as identified by the governmentand community, included households witholder members and members who havedisabilities, those with single or widowedparents, as well as large families andthose with little access to remittances.Reconstruction is underway, but 14months after Ian struck, more than 300people were still waiting for their homesto be rebuilt (see annex C). 52Figure 4.8: Displacement in SIDS relative to population size, 2008 to 2014 (per million inhabitants)a) SIDS compared with all other countries b) SIDS with the highest displacement levels0 500000 1000000 1500000 2000000People displaced per million inhabitants (thousands)30252015105All othersSIDSHaitiCubaPalauSamoaFijiTongaSolomon IslandsMarshall IslandsCook IslandsComorosPapua New GuineaAbsolute scaleRelative scale02008 2009 2010 20112012 20132014Saint Vincent &the Grenadines0 50000 100000 150000 200000Source: IDMC data as of 1 June 20154 | Geographical distribution and the biggest events41