Late last week, a Category 5 tropical cyclone ripped through the island nation of Vanuatu, killing at least 24 people and displacing 3,300 more. In statement to the Associated Press, Vanuatu’s president Baldwin Lonsdale said that 90 percent of the island’s buildings had been destroyed or damaged by the storm.
The situation on the island is dire—food and water and shelter are all gone for a population quickly ravaged by the storm. Ten are reported dead.. there are hints and suggestions that the number will rise as time goes on. One pilot who was forced to land in Tanna described pure devastation, with entire communities simply flattened.
And that is how natural disasters work. They come quick, they leave fast. They leave misery in the wake.. And deaths. Injuries, but also little quips and anecdotes of miracles that seem to keep humanity hopeful just enough to clean up until the next disaster..
This was an image of Cyclone Pam before as it slammed into Vanuatu.. category 4 winds.. monster storm. Untold destruction.. those on the scene report pure devastation..
A red alert has been issued for Vanuatu as a massive cyclone begins to lash the South Pacific island nation.
The WEATHER CHANNEL has this:
With Cyclone Pam expected to deal a major blow to the island nation of Vanuatu, officials were pleading with the population to get to safety, or risk their lives. The country spent Thursday stocking up and fortifying buildings for the cyclone’s strong winds, torrential rain and devastating storm surge, but experts fear the worst will happen if Pam hits Vanuatu’s population centers directly, especially the coastal capital, Port Vila. The country’s government issued a red alert for all six provinces as Pam closed in, BBC said. The alert orders all of the South Pacific nation’s 250,000 residents to get to shelter immediately, the report added.
And even more intense, a tweet posted by a user Humans of Vanuatu says a few things about the storm, right now, as it hits:
Folks, I’ll be honest. It’s really bad out there. The wind is howling with a deep roar that just doesn’t let up. Anyone not in shelter now is in mortal danger. Frankly, I don’t think our country will make it through this without some deep scars.
And
The shutters are groaning like ghouls, but the power is still on, and my internet is still running full bore. Not sure how I’d be feeling if not for that….
More:
Just got a text from some of the skeleton crew on the Tina 1, one of those ships opposite our house that you saw in the video. They’d love to get off the ship now, but they can’t. They’re stuck there for the duration.
