Vanuatu’s president, Baldwin Lonsdale has described Cyclone Pam as a “monster” storm that left 90% of the South Pacific archipelago’s buildings destroyed or damaged.
President Baldwin said that the nation had been forced to start anew after the tropical cyclone killed at least eight people and injured 30 others.
Aid had begun arriving in the storm-hit nation – one of the world’s poorest – where trees and power lines had been felled and many buildings destroyed.
Aid agencies said it could be one of the worst disasters ever to hit the region.
Climate change
Mr Baldwin also noted that climate change had contributed to the disaster, saying his country had seen changing weather patterns, rising seas and heavier-than-average rain.
The situation on some remote islands closer to the eye of the storm is not yet known as communications are down.
Aerial images of the capital showed houses completely flattened.
The official death toll is eight, but this is expected to rise as rescuers reach more the remote islands.
Officials said that the death toll is likely to rise once communications are re-established with outlying islands.
“This is a very devastating cyclone in Vanuatu. I term it as a monster, a monster”, Mr Baldwin said.
“It’s a setback for the government and for the people of Vanuatu.”
“After all the development that has taken place, all this development has been wiped out”.
The president said he had been unable to contact family members due to the widespread destruction caused by the 185mph winds.
The cyclone levelled homes, smashed up boats, destroyed roads and bridges, and brought down power and phone lines.
Thousands have been left homeless on the archipelago.
“We do not know if our families are safe or not. As the leader of the nation, my whole heart is for the people, the nation,” he said.
Mr Baldwin is preparing to return to Vanuatu from Sendai, in Japan, where he was attending a disaster conference when the cyclone struck.
