Cyclone Pam tore Vanuatu apart

Residents in cyclone ravaged Vanuatu hunkered in emergency shelters for a second straight night on Saturday after venturing out to find their homes damaged or blown away by the storm, aid workers said.
Cyclone Pam tore through the tiny Pacific archipelago early on Saturday, leaving a trail of destruction and unconfirmed reports of dozens of deaths.


Power remained out across Vanuatu and people on many of the outer islands had no access to running water or outside communications, said Chloe Morrison, a World Vision emergency communications officer in the capital, Port Vila.

Morrison said communications have been so problematic that her aid group hasn't been able to account for many of its own 76 staff on the islands and authorities have been unable to assess the extent of the damage.

"I can say that for anybody who wasn't in a secure shelter last night, it would have been a very, very tough time for them," she said.

She said authorities did a good job on Friday moving thousands of people in Port Vila into 23 evacuation centres.

 With the winds and rain easing on Saturday, many people stepped out only to find that their homes were missing a roof or had disappeared, and were forced to return to the shelters.

Teetering trees and downed power lines in Port Vila have made many areas hazardous, Morrison said, adding that she had heard reports of entire villages being destroyed in more remote areas.

"It's still really quite dangerous outside. Most people are still hunkering down," she said.