Cyclone hits Vanuatu
Cyclone Pam has slammed into the south Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu
leaving “complete devastation” in its wake, aid agencies say.
Tom Skirrow, of Save the Children, said houses in the capital Port
Vila were destroyed and “people are wandering the streets looking for
help”.
The UN agencies say dozens may have been killed and the disaster
could be one of the worst in Pacific history. Pam has brought winds of
up to 270km/h (170mph) and torrential rain.
'Entire villages destroyed'
Chloe Morrison, an emergency communications officer with World Vision
who is in Port Vila, said that streets were littered with roofing,
uprooted trees and toppled power lines. She said there were reports of
entire villages in remote areas being destroyed.
“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.'’
Skirrow said: “The scene here this morning is complete devastation -
houses are destroyed, trees are down, roads are blocked and people are
wandering the streets looking for help.
“Communications are down across much of the country with the total
extent of the devastation unlikely to be known for several days.”
UNICEF spokeswoman Alice Clements described the cyclone as “15-30
minutes of absolute terror” as it passed over Port Vila.
“I saw the sliding doors from my three-storey-hotel room completely
blow away - it was terrifying,” she said. UNICEF in New Zealand warned
that Cyclone Pam could be one of the worst ever weather disasters for
the region. “While it is too early to say for certain, early reports are
indicating that this weather disaster could potentially be one of the
worst in Pacific history,” New Zealand executive director Vivien
Maidaborn said in a statement.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he feared the damage and
destruction
could be widespread.
“We hope the loss of life will be minimal,'’ he said during a World
Conference on Disaster Risk and Reduction in Japan. Unconfirmed reports
said that 44 people had died in Penama province in the north-east of
Vanuatu, the UN's Office for the Co-ordination for Humanitarian
Assistance (UNOCHA) said earlier in a statement.
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the country was
preparing to send a crisis response team to Vanuatu if needed. “There
are destructive winds, rain, flooding, landslides, sea surges and very
rough seas and the storm is exceedingly destructive there," she said.
''We are still assessing the situation, but we stand ready to assist."
Although thousands of people spent the night in emergency shelters, many
more were forced to ride out the storm in their own homes.
All six provinces of Vanuatu have been under red alert, meaning
people are advised to immediately seek shelter.
Located about a quarter of the way from Australia to Hawaii, Vanuatu
has a population of 267,000 spread over 65 islands. About 47,000 people
live in the capital, Port Vila.
Pam, a category five tropical storm, had already caused major damage
on other Pacific islands, including Kiribati and the Solomon Islands.
Tuvalu, a group of nine tiny islands north-east of Vanuatu, has also
declared a state of emergency after the cyclone caused flash floods
there.
(BBC)
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