By the way 270 kilometers per hour is 167 plus miles per hour winds.
Vanuatu president appeals for help in wake of devastating cyclone
| Irish Times | - |
Many
residents in Vanuatu have spent a second night in emergency shelters
after a powerful cyclone damaged or blew away their homes, aid workers
said.
Vanuatu president appeals for help in wake of Cyclone Pam
Storm tore through the tiny South Pacific archipelago leaving trail of destruction
One
of the Pacific Ocean’s most powerful ever storms Cyclone Pam has
devastated the island nation of Vanuatu, reportedly killing dozens, aid
officials have said. The United Nations is preparing a major relief
operation. Video: REUTERS
Many residents in Vanuatu have spent a second night in emergency shelters after a powerful cyclone damaged or blew away their homes, aid workers said.
Cyclone
Pam tore through the tiny South Pacific archipelago with winds of 270
kilometers per hour early on Saturday, leaving a trail of destruction
and unconfirmed reports of dozens of deaths.
Power
remained out across Vanuatu throughout Saturday and people on many of
the outer islands had no access to running water or outside
communications, according to Chloe Morrison, a World Vision emergency
communications officer in the capital Port Vila.
Ms Morrison said communications
have been so problematic that her aid group has not yet 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 added.
Vanuatu has a population of 267,000 spread over 65 islands. About 47,000 people live in the capital.
Ms
Morrison said authorities did a good job of 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, she 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.
Unicef estimated that 54,000 children were among those affected by the cyclone.
UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the impact and scope of the disaster
caused by the cyclone was not yet clear, but he feared the damage and
destruction could be widespread.
“We hope the loss of life will be minimal,” he said during the World Conference on Disaster Risk and Reduction in Japan. The UN said it was preparing to deploy emergency rapid response units.
The
president of Vanuatu, Baldwin Lonsdale, who was attending the
conference, told participants: “I do not really know what impact the
cyclone has had on Vanuatu.
“I am speaking to you
today with a heart that is so heavy. I stand to appeal on behalf of the
government and the people to give a helping hand in this disaster.”
Ms
Morrison said the first priority was to ensure people had adequate
food, drinking water and shelter. Beyond that, she said, there would
need to be a long and concerted rebuilding effort in the months ahead.
She
said the winds peaked between about midnight on Friday and 1am on
Saturday. A westward change of course put populated areas directly in
the path of Cyclone Pam.
The UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said there were unconfirmed reports
of 44 deaths in Vanuatu’s northeastern islands after Pam moved off its
expected track.
New Zealand has pledged one million New Zealand dollars to help with relief efforts.
Australia was preparing to send a crisis response team to Vanuatu if needed, Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop said.
“There
are destructive winds, rain, flooding, landslides, sea surges and very
rough seas and the storm is exceedingly destructive there,” she said.
“We are still assessing the situation, but we stand ready to assist.”
The small island nation, located about a quarter of the way from Australia to Hawaii,
has repeatedly warned it is already suffering devastating effects from
climate change with the island’s coastal areas being washed away,
forcing resettlement to higher ground and smaller yields on traditional
crops.
Scientists say it is impossible to attribute single weather events like Cyclone Pam to climate change.
The cyclone has already caused damage to other Pacific islands, including Kiribati and the Solomon Islands. Authorities in New Zealand are preparing for Cyclone Pam, which is forecast to pass north of the country on Sunday and Monday.
PA
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