Another 20 had been confirmed injured.
Winds of up to 340km/h ripped metal roofs off houses and downed trees as relief agencies braced for a major rescue operation and unconfirmed reports said dozens had died.
Witnesses described sea surges of up to eight metres and flooding throughout the capital Port Vila after Category 5 Cyclone Pam hit the country.
Communications with the outside world were largely knocked out.
Aid officials said the storm may be unprecedented in the island's history and could be one of the worst natural disasters the Pacific region has ever seen, hitting Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands before reaching Vanuatu late on Friday.
Satellite photos showed the storm covering virtually the entire archipelago.
Outlying islands may take weeks to reach, aid officials said, while a lack of clean water and widespread crop damage meant there was a real risk of hunger and disease..................http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0314/687063-cyclone-pam/
14/3/15
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Related:
- 'Complete devastation' after cyclone hits island nation of Vanuatu..
Super Cyclone Pam left a trail of "complete devastation" after it smashed into the Pacific island archipelago of Vanuatu on Friday, aid groups said, amid fears that the storm may prove to be one of the region's worst-ever weather disasters.
The maximum-category five storm slammed directly into the island with gusts of up to 320 kilometres (200 miles) an hour.
"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," said Save the Children's Tom Skirrow, speaking from the capital of Port Vila.
The full extent of the damage remained unknown on Saturday due to the limited communications networks in place on the island, but the UN has received unconfirmed reports of 44 people killed in one province alone.
"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.
Residents of Port Vila spent the night bunkering down as the storm raged, waking to find trees had been uprooted, homes destroyed and areas flooded.
"We could see some loss of life, potentially serious loss but we don't know yet," Sune Gudnitz, who heads the United Nations Office for the Coordination 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."
UNICEF spokeswoman Alice Clements described the cyclone as "15-30 minutes of absolute terror" 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.
Aid agency appeals
The storm crossed the main Vanuatu island, home to more than 65,000 people, and a group of islands further south with a population of 33,000 after hitting the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu, where there were no reports of fatalities.
Red Cross Pacific regional head Aurelia Balpe told AFP that in one southern part of Vanuatu, islanders packed into caves and other makeshift shelters using "traditional coping strategies".............http://www.france24.com/en/20150314-complete-devastation-cyclone-pacific-nation-vanuatu/
14/3/15
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Vanuatu president calls for help after cyclone destruction...
ReplyDeleteVanuatu's President Baldwin Lonsdale has called for international help after Cyclone Pam ripped through the Pacific archipelago.
Describing it as a "calamity", he said he spoke with a "heavy heart".
Aid agencies say the cyclone, which veered off its expected course on Saturday and struck populated areas, has caused "complete devastation".
Save the Children says eight people are confirmed dead but it is feared dozens more may have been killed.
Many residents are spending a second night in emergency shelters after finding their homes destroyed.
Mr Lonsdale was speaking in Japan at the UN's World Conference on Disaster Risk and Reduction.
"I stand to appeal on behalf of the government and the people of Vanuatu that the global community give a lending hand in responding to these very current calamities...that have struck us," he said.............http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31887286
14/3/15
'Complete devastation' after cyclone hits island nation of Vanuatu...
ReplyDeleteSuper Cyclone Pam left a trail of "complete devastation" after it smashed into the Pacific island archipelago of Vanuatu on Friday, aid groups said, amid fears that the storm may prove to be one of the region's worst-ever weather disasters.
The maximum Category 5 storm slammed directly into the island with winds of up to 320 kilometres (200 miles) an hour.
"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," said Save the Children's Tom Skirrow, speaking from the capital of Port Vila.
The full extent of the damage remained unknown on Saturday due to the limited communications networks in place on the island, but the UN has received unconfirmed reports of 44 people killed in one province alone.
"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.
Residents of Port Vila spent the night bunkering down as the storm raged, waking to find trees had been uprooted, homes destroyed and areas flooded................http://www.france24.com/en/20150314-complete-devastation-cyclone-pacific-nation-vanuatu/
14/3/15
Vanuatu cyclone: First aid reaches islands ravaged by Pam...
ReplyDeleteAid is beginning to arrive in Vanuatu after the Pacific island nation was hit by a cyclone which President Baldwin Lonsdale described as a "monster".
Air force planes arrived with supplies from Australia and New Zealand, and other countries have pledged to help.
Aerial images of the capital Port Vila show many houses completely flattened.
A communications blackout means little is known about conditions beyond the capital but a pilot saw similar devastation in outlying islands.
His voice breaking, President Lonsdale told the BBC that Cyclone Pam had destroyed most buildings in Port Vila, including schools and clinics.
A state of emergency has been declared in the tiny state of 267,000 people, spread over 65 islands................http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31895231
15/3/15