Cyclone Pam's destruction in Port Vila, Vanuatu, 3/14/15

Description: Cyclone Pam's destruction in Port Vila, Vanuatu, 3/14/15 Cyclone Pam: Vanuatu a scene of destruction after South Pacific storm President calls for ‘helping hand’ from the world as aid workers tell of fierce impact and Australia and New Zealand prepare to mount relief efforts Screaming winds and heavy rain from an extremely powerful cyclone that blasted through Vanuatu on Saturday have left widespread destruction, with fears dozens may have been killed, aid workers rushing to assess the damage and the governments of Australia and New Zealand preparing to mount a relief effort. The president of Vanuatu, Baldwin Lonsdale, gave an emotional address as he attended an overseas conference on disasters and emergencies, telling delegates in Japan: “I am speaking to you today with a heart that is so heavy. I stand to appeal on behalf of the government and the people to give a helping hand in this disaster.” At least eight people had been confirmed dead, Save the Children country director Tom Skirrow told Reuters by telephone from Port Vila on Saturday evening local time. He said the figure came from the country’s National Disaster Management Office and was based on reports from hospitals and paramedic services. As winds dropped on Saturday afternoon with the cyclone’s passage, the extent of damage began to reveal itself. Communication systems in many of the hard-hit outer islands remained down. Red Cross Pacific regional head Aurelia Balpe told Agence France-Presse that in one southern part of Vanuatu, islanders packed into caves and other makeshift shelters as they resorted to “traditional coping strategies”. Unicef spokeswoman Alice Clements described the cyclone as “15-30 minutes of absolute terror” for “everybody in this country” as it passed over. “We have some very unconfirmed reports of casualties from the outer islands as well but we’re waiting to get official confirmation on those, which is very sad news if it’s true,” she told Radio New Zealand. Save the Children’s Tom Skirrow, speaking from Port Vila, 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.” Care International’s Charlie Damon said: “Homes have been blown to pieces, and even evacuation shelters, where people had sought refuge, have been flooded and left exposed to Cyclone Pam. “If this is the level of impact in communities where emergency shelters were an option, we are deeply concerned about what has happened in remote communities without them.” Sune Gudnitz, who heads the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Pacific, told AFP: “The feedback is that there appears to be quite widespread devastation. There is debris in the streets and widespread flooding.” 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.”

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