Cyclone Pam ‘wipes out all development’ on Vanuatu
The cyclone that hit the South Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu has ‘wiped out all development’ according to its president.
President Baldwin Lonsdale blamed climate change for the disaster and added the region will have to ‘start from new’.
Cyclone Pam hit Vanuatu, destroying houses and hotels and leaving hundreds of people homeless.
Eight people are confirmed dead, but UN agencies say the death toll could be much higher as entire villages on remote islands are believed to have been destroyed, although communications to many areas are down.
The capital Port Vila, popular with holidaymakers from Australia and New Zealand, was hit by winds of up to 170 mph and torrential rain.
On Saturday, the capital’s cities were littered with debris, including roofing, uprooted trees and power lines brought down by the wind.
It is thought to be one of the worst ever natural disasters in the South Pacific.
All islands in Vanuatu are on alert and the president has declared a state of emergency, appealing for international aid.
Unicef spokeswoman Alice Clements told the BBC the cyclone was ’15-30 minutes of absolute terror’ as it passed over Port Vila.
She said the sliding doors from her three-storey-hotel room were completely blown away.
Pam, a category five tropical storm, had already caused major damage on other Pacific islands, including Kiribati and the Solomon Islands before it hit Vanuatu.
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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