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Gary Bailey and Andy Macpherson are safely on their way, hopefully arriving in Singapore about now. Their ETA in Port Vila is still 18 hours away! Both Singapore and Vanuatu airlines have been very cooperative with regard to their excess baggage. Both team members were extremely disciplined in their personal baggage and some hard decisions were made with regard to arborist equipment, but they were still 30kg over their allocated weight allowance! There's no getting away from it - chainsaws, ropes, strops, pulleys, etc are heavy bits of kit! There was also a need for our team to carry three weeks’ worth of dehydrated food to sustain them through the weeks ahead. It's a corner stone of the DART philosophy that our volunteers will arrive self-sufficient in food and shelter for the duration of their deployment, rather than become an additional burden on the affected community they are there to help. This morning the Vanuatu National Disaster Management Office have issued the Initial Needs Assessment Reports for the outlying provinces and islands - Ambrym, Emae, Pentacost and Tanna. There has been a great deal of speculation in the international press regarding the situation in those remote areas and islands away from the capital Port Vila. The reports make sobering reading! They all highlight the problems caused by fallen trees blocking roads and vital infrastructure and importantly, the urgent need for chainsaws. The DART team is going to be kept very busy and there may even be a requirement for a follow on deployment if sufficient funding can be obtained. Once again, on behalf of the trustees and volunteers of DART International UK, I would like to thank our sponsors for their generosity and support in mounting this operation to Vanuatu. All the sponsors listed on our webpage have contributed vital equipment, but in particular we would like to thank Glendale and STEIN for their vital financial support and backing. Best regards Mike Metcalfe Operations Manager DART International UK. registered charity incorporated organisation number,1157168 Humanitarian response team, helping people in need internationally. DART International UK UK Mobile +44 (0) 7747 803375 Landline +44 (0) 1566 86424