article_snippet: Aerial assessments are being carried out by military aircraft from New Caledonia, Australia and New Zealand.
article_snippet: The Australian government said a first contingent of officials and supplies arrived in Port Vila around noon Sunday and more flights were expected to follow.
article_snippet: Port Vila is more than 1,770 kilometers (1,100 miles) northeast of Brisbane on Australia's east coast, and some 2,200 kilometers (1,367 miles) north of Auckland, the closest city in New Zealand.
article_snippet: Vanuatu's archipelago -- comprising 83 small islands, about 65 of Auckland, the closest city in New Zealand inhabited -- is roughly 850 kilometers (528 miles) long.
highlights_snippet: Aid officials and supplies start to arrive in Vanuatu's capital from Australia .