Economy
Vanuatu: The Cyclone Pam disaster … with link to where you can give …
Disaster management teams are preparing to make their way to many of Vanuatu’s remote communities which took a direct hit from Tropical Cyclone Pam.
Eight people are confirmed to have died across the country’s 65 inhabited islands after Cyclone Pam tore through the South Pacific archipelago packing winds of up to 270 kilometres per hour.
With communications down and many areas still inaccessible, relief workers fear the death toll will be much higher.
“It is heartbreaking to see just villages literally picked up and blown away. Power lines are hanging, buildings are flattened so it is just a devastating sight,” World Vision spokeswoman Chloe Morrison said from Port Vila.
But as relief workers fan out to cover areas of the north and south flattened by the worst cyclone to hit the area in decades, they expect an even grimmer picture to emerge.
• Where you can give to the Red Cross Appeal …
• Christine Milne: Aid for Vanuatu welcome and essential but not enough