Knowing that some citizens are running out of food and water, relief workers were desperately trying to reach some of Vanuatu's most remote and devastated islands days after Cyclone Pam ripped through the South Pacific nation.
The storm that killed at least 11 people cut off the southern Vanuatu island of Tanna from the rest of the world, severing communication lines, according to Reuters. Tanna suffered a direct hit from Pam, and the island of 29,000 people suffered major damage, the report added.
"Everyone in Tanna and other islands in the south, they really live subsistence lives, so they grow what they need for a short period. ... And the reality is that much of that would have been washed away by this storm," said Tom Perry, spokesman for CARE Australia. "That's a grave concern because we desperately need to get food to people soon."
Aid workers believe casualties on the island were minimal, as most residents sheltered in sturdy churches and public buildings, but with no connection to the outside world, the people are beginning to run out of necessary supplies, food and water. "Tropical Cyclone Pam left massive humanitarian needs across Vanuatu and we are doing our best to respond as quickly as we can," said Aurélia Balpe, regional head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, in an interview with Deutsche Welle.
To the northwest, residents on the small island of Moso have grown even more desperate after running out of supplies. Some have been forced to drink salt water to stay alive due to Pam's desolation, BBC reported. A pilot who flew over the island said it appeared as if the landscape had been wiped out, similar to a massive bush fire, the report added.
Tens of thousands have been left homeless by the large cyclone, creating an urgent need for shelter, BBC also said. And even though Vanuatu's capital, Port Vila, suffered damage to an estimated 90 percent of its buildings, the destruction is far worse in the outlying islands, officials say.
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