Cyclone causes major destruction in South Pacific islands of Vanuatu

PanARMENIAN.Net - A tropical cyclone has smashed into the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu and is believed to have caused widespread destruction, The Guardian reports.

Winds beginning to drop on Saturday, March 14 gradually revealing the extent of damage amid unconfirmed reports of dozens of deaths. Communication systems in many of the hard-hit outer islands remained down.

Chloe Morrison, a World Vision emergency communications officer stationed in Port Vila, said the capital’s streets were littered with roofs blown from homes, uprooted trees and downed power lines. She said she was hearing reports of entire villages being destroyed in more remote areas.

There was no power or running water in the capital and communication remained unreliable. “It’s still really quite dangerous outside. Most people are still hunkering down,” she said. “The damage is quite extensive in Port Vila but there are so many more vulnerable islands. I can’t even imagine what it’s like in those vulnerable communities.”

Communications were knocked out in much of the region by Pam, a maximum category five storm, and aid agencies said it would take time for a clear picture to emerge.

The United Nations office for the co-ordination of humanitarian affairs said on Saturday it was checking an unconfirmed report of 44 dead. The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, said he feared the damage and destruction could be widespread. The UN said it was preparing to deploy emergency rapid response units.

People in Vanuatu spent the night in makeshift shelters, the Red Cross Pacific regional head Aurelia Balpe said, as Pam, packing winds of more than 250 kilometres per hour, slammed into the island.

The storm crossed the main Vanuatu island where more than 65,000 people live and a group of islands further south which are home to 33,000 people.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology, which has been monitoring the storm, said most parts of Vanuatu had been affected.

The storm reportedly changed course at the last minute, hitting the capital Port Vila harder than expected.

Power was out in much of Vanuatu and communications were cut. Aid agency Save the Children said Pam “is feared to have caused widespread damage” and it was preparing to mount a humanitarian response.

Red Cross was also assessing what was required in terms of food, medicine and shelter. The Vanuatu weather bureau was forecasting “very destructive” hurricane-force winds, torrential rain and flash flooding for most of Saturday.