"Cyclone takes toll in South Pacific; 8 are reported dead in Vanuatu; 168 m.p.h. winds" by Nick Perry, Associated Press March 15, 2015
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — At least eight people were confirmed dead in Vanuatu after a massive cyclone tore through the tiny South Pacific archipelago, and the death toll is likely to rise much higher once communications are restored with outlying islands, aid workers said Sunday
Packing winds of up to 168 miles per hour, Cyclone Pam tore through Vanuatu early Saturday, leaving a trail of destruction and unconfirmed reports of dozens of deaths.
Chloe Morrison, a World Vision emergency communications officer in Port Vila, said officials from Vanuatu’s National Disaster Management Office confirmed to her agency that at least eight people in and around the capital, Port Vila, had died during the cyclone.
Officials have yet to assess the damage in many of the hard-hit outer islands because communications remain down, she said. Morrison said she had heard reports of entire villages being destroyed in more remote areas.
A westward change of course put populated areas directly in the path of Pam. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said there were unconfirmed reports of an additional 44 deaths in Vanuatu’s northeastern islands after Pam moved off its expected track.
Morrison said residents were awakening to much calmer weather Sunday after many hunkered down in emergency shelters for a second straight night Saturday. She said power remains out and communication is patchy.
Many people who have ventured out from 23 emergency shelters around Port Vila have found their homes damaged or blown away altogether, Morrison added.
Morrison said communications have been so problematic that her aid group hasn’t yet been able to account for many of its own 76 staff members on the islands.
For anybody who wasn’t in a secure shelter during the cyclone ‘‘it would have been a very, very tough time for them,’’ she said.
Vanuatu has a population of 267,000 spread over 65 islands. About 47,000 people live in the capital.
Fallen trees and downed power lines have made parts of Port Vila hazardous.
The UN children’s agency, 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 wasn’t yet clear, but he feared the damage and destruction could be widespread.
‘‘We hope the loss of life will be minimal,’’ Ban said during the World Conference on Disaster Risk and Reduction in Japan
UN officials said they were preparing to deploy emergency rapid response units.
That is where my print copy ended.
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,’’ he said. ‘‘I stand to appeal on behalf of the government and the people to give a helping hand in this disaster.’’
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 Friday and 1 a.m. Saturday.
New Zealand on Saturday pledged 1 million New Zealand dollars ($734,000) 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’s 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.
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"Vanuatu gauging cyclone’s damage" by Nick Perry, Associated Press March 16, 2015
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Officials struggled Sunday to determine the scale of the devastation wrought by a monstrous cyclone that tore through the tiny South Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu, with death counts varying in the single digits but expected to rise once communications are restored with outlying islands.
Cyclone Pam tore through Vanuatu early Saturday, packing winds of 168 miles per hour and leaving a trail of destruction and unconfirmed reports of dozens of deaths.
The confusion over the death toll is due largely to a near-total communications blackout across the country. With power lines and phone circuits down, officials in the capital had no way of knowing what the scope of the damage was on the outer islands.
Vanuatu’s government has declared a nationwide state of emergency, and Australia and New Zealand have sent in relief supplies....
Yeah, the ‘‘last couple of years, [they] haven’t received a really big cyclone like this.’’
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Also see: Zealous Tourists in New Zealand
Won't have to worry about them now.
NDU:
"3,300 displaced in Vanuatu after cyclone; confirmed deaths rise to 24" by Nick Perry, Associated Press March 17, 2015
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — The United Nations reported Monday that 3,300 people have been displaced by Cyclone Pam in the South Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu, as the confirmed death toll rose to 24.
Radio and telephone communications with outer islands have not yet been established two days after what the country’s president called a ‘‘monster’’ storm, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.
It said 3,300 people are sheltering in 37 evacuation centers on the main island of Efate and in the provinces of Torba and Penama. ‘‘Basic emergency rations are being provided to evacuees,’’ the report said.
Military aircraft from New Caledonia, Australia, and New Zealand have been conducting aerial assessments of the damage.
The latest report came as Vanuatu’s president rushed back to his country, which has repeatedly warned it is already suffering devastating effects from climate change with coastal areas being washed away.
President Baldwin Lonsdale had been attending a UN disaster conference in Sendai, Japan, when the storm hit....
Hmmmm.
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The anniversary of the ongoing disaster at Fukushima? Never saw a word.
FURTHER UPDATE:
"Cyclone leaves devastation on Vanuatu’s outer islands; Relief workers face daunting logistical issues" by Joe Morgan, Associated Press March 18, 2015
PORT VILA, Vanuatu — Australian military surveillance planes found significant damage, particularly on Tanna Island, where more than 80 percent of buildings appeared to be partially or completely destroyed, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said.
‘‘We understand that the reconnaissance imagery shows widespread devastation,’’ Bishop said.
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The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that 11 people were confirmed dead, including five on Tanna, reducing their earlier report of 24 casualties after realizing some of the victims had been counted more than once. Officials with the National Disaster Management Office said they had no accurate figures on how many were dead.
The confusion reflects the difficulty of handling a disaster that struck whole communities on remote islands that have lost communication.
‘‘Vanuatu is a challenging place at the best of times, in the sense of getting around and logistics,’’ said Tom Perry, spokesman for CARE Australia.
Most of the outer islands have no airports, and those that do have only small landing strips that are tricky for large supply planes to navigate. On the main island of Efate, bridges were down outside Port Vila, impeding vehicle traffic.
‘‘There are over 80 islands that make up Vanuatu, and on a good, sunny day outside of cyclone season, it’s difficult to get to many of them,’’ said Collett van Rooyen of Oxfam. ‘‘Until today, the weather has been particularly cloudy, so even the surveillance flights would have had some difficulty picking up good imagery.’’
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Haven't seen a word since. Communications must still be out.
