| ABC News | - |
Humanitarian
workers reported “unbelievable destruction” in Port Vila, Vanuatu,
after a powerful cyclone brought crashing waves and powerful wind to the
island nation.
'Unbelievable Destruction' Reported After Cyclone Slams Vanuatu
Humanitarian workers reported “unbelievable destruction” in Port Vila, Vanuatu, after a powerful cyclone brought crashing waves and powerful wind to the island nation.
The death toll from the storm remains unconfirmed.
“We’re extremely concerned for safety and wellbeing of tens of thousands of people across Vanuatu,” the Australian Red Cross
said in a statement. “Humanitarian needs will be enormous. Many people
have lost their homes. Shelter, food and water urgent priorities.”
The storm uprooted trees, blew roofs from homes and downed power lines
across Port Vila. Chloe Morrison, a World Vision emergency
communications officer who is in Port Vila, said there is no power or
running water in the capital and that communication remains unreliable.
"It's still really quite dangerous outside. Most people are still
hunkering down," she said. "The damage is quite extensive in Port Vila
but there are so many more vulnerable islands. I can't even imagine what
it's like in those vulnerable communities."
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the impact and scope of the disaster wasn't yet clear, but he feared the damage and destruction could be widespread.
"We hope the loss of life will be minimal," he said during a World Conference on Disaster Risk and Reduction in Japan.
Ban said he had met the president of Vanuatu, Baldwin Lonsdale, who is
attending the conference, and conveyed the U.N.'s condolences and
solidarity. The U.N. said it was preparing to deploy emergency rapid
response units.
Located about a quarter of the way from Australia to Hawaii, Vanuatu has a population of 267,000 spread over 65 islands. About 47,000 people live in the capital.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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