Cyclone Bola - Aftermath

Aftermath

In Vanuatu, cyclone victims received food and emergency aid following the storm. Australian patrol boat HMAS Cessnock provided manpower assistance to 11 islands in the country. Reconstruction costs in Vanuatu totalled about $5 million (1988 USD), which was about 10 percent of the country's national budget.

After the passage of the storm, four towns in New Zealand declared states of emergency. The New Zealand government provided about $80 million (1988 NZD) to the east coast region of the North Island for assisting in cyclone damage. $8 million was used to create an East Coast Forestry Conservation Scheme, which was set to protect forests and prevent erosion. A study was taken five years after the storm, consisting of a group of 112 people who were evacuated or received monetary assistance in response to the cyclone; the study showed 12% of the respondents as experiencing Posttraumatic stress disorder, of which they reported a general lack of assistance and public support.