A terrifying tropical cyclone which smashed into Vanuatu in the South Pacific wreaked widespread devastation, aid agencies said yesterday, raising fears that dozens may have died in what might be one of the region’s worst weather disasters.
The full extent of the damage is unknown, with limited communications in place after Cyclone Pam, a Category 5 storm, slammed directly into the island nation late on Friday with wind gusts of up to 320kph.
The UN received unconfirmed reports of 44 people killed in one province, and said late yesterday that there was no clear number of deaths or injuries, but that the impact of the cyclone had been “catastrophic.”
Photo: AFP
“A disaster of this magnitude has not been experienced by Vanuatu in recent history — particularly in terms of the reach of the potential damage and the ferocity of the storm,” said Sune Gudnitz, who heads the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Pacific.
Aid agencies were scrambling for information and preparing to send teams to Vanuatu — with a UN disaster assessment and coordination team expected to arrive late today.
“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,” UNICEF New Zealand’s executive director Vivien Maidaborn said in a statement. “The sheer force of the storm combined with communities just not set up to withstand it, could have devastating results for thousands across the region.”
Aurelia Balpe, head of the Pacific regional office of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said there were unconfirmed reports of casualties in the capital, Port Vila.
However, officials had greater fears for the southern islands, home to more than 33,000 people, where communication had been cut.
“We are starting to get a picture from Port Vila, but there is nothing from the south,” Balpe told reporters from Suva, Fiji. “We are very worried just because there are less permanent structures in that part of the country. There is probably less infrastructure to be evacuated to.”
Port Vila residents spent the night sheltering as the storm raged, waking to find that trees had been uprooted, homes had been destroyed and areas flooded.
“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,” Save the Children’s Tom Skirrow said.
UNICEF spokeswoman Alice Clements described the cyclone as “15 to 30 minutes of absolute terror” for “everybody in this country” as it passed over.
Fiji Weather Service meteorologist Neville Koop said the cyclone was weakening as it slowly moved away from Vanuatu, and would pass between Fiji and New Caledonia before brushing the North Island of New Zealand tomorrow.
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