PORT VILA, Vanuatu (AP) Relief workers rushed to deliver desperately needed food and water Wednesday to survivors living on Vanuatu's outer islands, after a monstrous cyclone wiped out entire villages and flattened vast swathes of the South Pacific nation's landscape. <\/p>\n
Aid workers and government officials were planning to send a boat packed with supplies to hard-hit Tanna Island, where aerial assessments showed more than 80 percent of homes or buildings had been partially or completely destroyed by Cyclone Pam. <\/p>\n
\"There's a landscape of skeleton trees and patchworks of square outlines where houses used to be,\" said Angus Hohenboken from aid group Oxfam. \"It's really quite a saddening sight.\" <\/p>\n
Samuel, only his first name given, and as his father, Phillip, right, stand amongst of their destroyed home in Port Vila, Vanuatu in the aftermath of Cyclone Pam Monday, March 16, 2015. Vanuatu's President Baldwin Lonsdale said Monday that the cyclone that hammered the tiny South Pacific archipelago over the weekend was a \"monster\" that has destroyed or damaged 90 percent of the buildings in the capital and has forced the nation to start anew. (AP Photo\/Dave Hunt, Pool) (Dave Hunt\/AP) <\/p>\n
Lack of food was a growing worry for those who survived the storm, which packed winds of 270 kilometers (168 miles) per hour when it struck Saturday. <\/p>\n
\"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.\" <\/p>\n
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that 11 people were confirmed dead, including five on Tanna. Officials with Vanuatu's National Disaster Management Office said they had no accurate figures on how many were dead, and aid agencies reported varying numbers. <\/p>\n
Many people took shelter in larger buildings such as schools, which likely spared their lives. <\/p>\n
Aid workers carrying medical and sanitation supplies, water, food and shelter equipment finally managed to reach Tanna and neighboring Erromango Island, after being stymied in their efforts for days by poor weather and a breakdown in communications. The two islands were directly in the path of the storm. <\/p>\n
Samuel, only his first name given, kicks a ball through the ruins of their family home as his father, Phillip, at back, picks through the debris in Port Vila, Vanuatu in the aftermath of Cyclone Pam Monday, March 16, 2015. Vanuatu's President Baldwin Lonsdale said Monday that the cyclone that hammered the tiny South Pacific archipelago over the weekend was a \"monster\" that has destroyed or damaged 90 percent of the buildings in the capital and has forced the nation to start anew. (AP Photo\/Dave Hunt, Pool) (Dave Hunt\/AP) <\/p>\n
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Cyclone flattened the landscape in Vanuatu's outer islands<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" PORT VILA, Vanuatu (AP) Relief workers rushed to deliver desperately needed food and water Wednesday to survivors living on Vanuatu's outer islands, after a monstrous cyclone wiped out entire villages and flattened vast swathes of the South Pacific nation's landscape. Aid workers and government officials were planning to send a boat packed with supplies to hard-hit Tanna Island, where aerial assessments showed more than 80 percent of homes or buildings had been partially or completely destroyed by Cyclone Pam Continue reading