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| Cyclone Pam: Vanuatu 'needs food' | Cyclone Pam: Vanuatu 'needs food' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Vanuatu urgently needs food and relief supplies, officials said, days after Cyclone Pam caused massive damage across the Pacific nation. | Vanuatu urgently needs food and relief supplies, officials said, days after Cyclone Pam caused massive damage across the Pacific nation. |
| Houses, schools and crops have been destroyed by the storm, which hit the islands as a category five. | Houses, schools and crops have been destroyed by the storm, which hit the islands as a category five. |
| So far 24 people are reported dead but this could rise. There are islands south of the capital where the situation is not yet known. | |
| Those who have flown over the islands report widespread devastation. | |
| Across the nation, many people have lost their homes or face extensive rebuilding. Telecommunications, power and water supplies have all been badly affected. | |
| "We urgently need water purification tablets to make sure that the water is safe to drink," Alice Clements of Unicef told the BBC. | "We urgently need water purification tablets to make sure that the water is safe to drink," Alice Clements of Unicef told the BBC. |
| "We urgently need food for communities whose crops have been absolutely destroyed and will take up to three months to grow. We absolutely need shelter." | "We urgently need food for communities whose crops have been absolutely destroyed and will take up to three months to grow. We absolutely need shelter." |
| Benjamin Shing, of President Baldwin Lonsdale's office, echoed her comments. | Benjamin Shing, of President Baldwin Lonsdale's office, echoed her comments. |
| "We are relying on the fact that the food crops and the gardens are still edible and they can be used for the first week but after [that] we'll need to get some rations on the ground," he told Australian media. | "We are relying on the fact that the food crops and the gardens are still edible and they can be used for the first week but after [that] we'll need to get some rations on the ground," he told Australian media. |
| As well as crops, residents' stockpiles of food had been destroyed and wood was too wet for people to cook with, reports said. | |
| The storm hit Vanuatu on Saturday, bringing very high winds. | The storm hit Vanuatu on Saturday, bringing very high winds. |
| Aid is arriving from nations including Australia, New Zealand and the UK but officials say distributing supplies will take time, given damage to infrastructure and the number of islands. | Aid is arriving from nations including Australia, New Zealand and the UK but officials say distributing supplies will take time, given damage to infrastructure and the number of islands. |
| "It will take days until we have a clear picture and [understand] the full extent of the damage," Kate Roux of the International Red Cross told the BBC. | "It will take days until we have a clear picture and [understand] the full extent of the damage," Kate Roux of the International Red Cross told the BBC. |
| In Port Vila, the capital, a clean-up is under way but the destruction was extensive. Power and water have been restored in some areas but up to 90% of homes have been damaged. | In Port Vila, the capital, a clean-up is under way but the destruction was extensive. Power and water have been restored in some areas but up to 90% of homes have been damaged. |
| The hospital is coping with an influx of injured people but a surgeon said beds had been moved outside because of structural damage. | |
| On the main island and in Torba and Penama provinces to the north, some 3,300 people were in evacuation shelters, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. | On the main island and in Torba and Penama provinces to the north, some 3,300 people were in evacuation shelters, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. |
| Of islands to the south of the capital in the direct path of the cyclone, including Tanna - home to 29,000 people - and Erromango, much less is known. | Of islands to the south of the capital in the direct path of the cyclone, including Tanna - home to 29,000 people - and Erromango, much less is known. |
| "We have no contact of any sort with the outer islands, the priority is to get communications up and running," Joe Lowry, a spokesman for International Organisation for Migration (ILM), told Reuters news agency. | "We have no contact of any sort with the outer islands, the priority is to get communications up and running," Joe Lowry, a spokesman for International Organisation for Migration (ILM), told Reuters news agency. |
| "It's very, very concerning that we haven't heard anything from the outlying islands." | "It's very, very concerning that we haven't heard anything from the outlying islands." |
| Military planes that have flown over the islands have reported extensive damage to houses and crops. | Military planes that have flown over the islands have reported extensive damage to houses and crops. |
| "We understand that the reconnaissance imagery shows widespread devastation," Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said of Tanna. "Not only buildings flattened - palm plantations, trees. It's quite a devastating sight." | |
| The president, returning from a conference in Japan, has described the storm as a "monster" that wiped out years of development. | The president, returning from a conference in Japan, has described the storm as a "monster" that wiped out years of development. |
| He has linked the disaster to climate change, citing changing weather patterns, rising seas and heavier-than-average rain in Vanuatu. | He has linked the disaster to climate change, citing changing weather patterns, rising seas and heavier-than-average rain in Vanuatu. |
| Australia announced on Tuesday that it was sending more personnel, including a search and rescue team, and three more military planes carrying aid. | |
| How poor is Vanuatu? | How poor is Vanuatu? |
| Are you in Vanuatu? Have you been affected by the cyclone? You can share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. If you are available to speak to a BBC journalist, please include a contact telephone number. | Are you in Vanuatu? Have you been affected by the cyclone? You can share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. If you are available to speak to a BBC journalist, please include a contact telephone number. |
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