One of the Pacific Oceans most powerful ever storms Cyclone Pam has devastated the island nation of Vanuatu, reportedly killing dozens, aid officials have said. The United Nations is preparing a major relief operation. Video: REUTERS <\/p>\n
Local residents carry their belongings along a road after Cyclone Pam hit, on the outskirts of Port Vila, the capital city of the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. Photograph: Unicef\/Reuters\/Handout via Reuters <\/p>\n
Reports from the outer islands of Vanuatu on Monday painted a picture of utter destruction after a monster cyclone tore through the South Pacific island nation, flattening buildings and killing at least eight people. <\/p>\n
Disaster management officials and relief workers were struggling to establish contact with the islands that bore the brunt of Cyclone Pams winds of more than 300 km\/h, which destroyed homes, smashed boats and washed away roads and bridges as it struck late on Friday and into Saturday. <\/p>\n
The official toll of eight killed and 20 injured looked certain to rise as reports began to trickle from the hardest hit parts of the scattered archipelago. <\/p>\n
Many of the buildings and houses have been completely destroyed, Vanuatu President Baldwin Lonsdale said. More than 90 per cent of the buildings have been destroyed. <\/p>\n
The president added that climate change was partly to blame for the devastation across Vanuatu. <\/p>\n
Oxfam Irelands chief executive Jim Clarken said the damage left in the wake of the cyclone was likely to be one of the worst disasters ever seen in the Pacific. <\/p>\n
There is no power at the hospital which has also flooded in parts and damage to the state mortuary means a temporary mortuary must be set up quickly, he said. <\/p>\n
Port Vila, the capital which took the full force of the category 5 storm, was recently named in the Natural Hazards Risk Atlas as the city most exposed to natural disasters in the world. Due to its location the city faces a combination of risks including earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding and tropical cyclones. <\/p>\n
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Vanuatu islands destroyed after monster cyclone<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One of the Pacific Oceans most powerful ever storms Cyclone Pam has devastated the island nation of Vanuatu, reportedly killing dozens, aid officials have said. Continue reading