Nevertheless, both countries' economies have since rebounded from the impact of the disasters, albeit only to face another spate of disasters in the form of Hurricane Maria, which devastated Dominica, and a volcanic eruption on Vanuatu's Ambae Island in 2017. The main lessons from this comparative analysis reinforces the importance of (i) strong macroeconomic foundations, (ii) mainstreaming and implementation of disaster risk reduction and management strategies and (iii) having in place ex-ante financing arrangements. Category 5 Cyclone Pam devastated the Pacific island country of Vanuatu, causing widespread damage and loss of life.