Tropical Cyclone Pam Pummels Pacific Islands
By Jack Gilbert
March 14, 2015
Cyclone Pam slammed into the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu Friday night, causing massive devastation and killing at least six people so far, according to UNICEF.
The Category 5 storm is the most destructive to hit the region in years and "could potentially be one of the worst in Pacific history," said New Zealand UNICEF Executive Director Vivien Maidaborn in a statement. Shortly after the storm made landfall, the Australian Red Cross issued an emergency appeal to provide humanitarian assistance to the residents of Vanatu. The aid group reported "unbelievable destruction" in Port Vila, saying on Twitter that most of the houses in the capital have been damaged or destroyed and tens of thousands of people are now homeless. Exact estimates of the damage are slow to surface outside of the capital because communications and power have been cut throughout most of the country. Other reports indicate that dozens are feared dead and entire villages have been swept away by the storm.
"Unfortunately, the more that comes out, the worse it looks," Sune Gudnitz, a spokesman for U.N. aid agency OCHA told CNN. "I should say it's really a case of the worst-case scenario for the country and for the people."
Gusts of winds as high as 200 miles-per-hour blew in late Friday night and toppled buildings and trees. Driving around the island of Efate, which is home to the capital, aid worker Chloe Morrison said "Port Vila looks like looks like an absolute bomb has hit it," according to CNN.
The storm also hit nearby Pacific island countries of Tuvalu and Kiribati, causing massive flooding and destroying homes.
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