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| Vanuatu Death Toll Is Likely to Rise as Glimpses of Cyclone’s Fury Emerge | Vanuatu Death Toll Is Likely to Rise as Glimpses of Cyclone’s Fury Emerge |
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| HONG KONG — Initial glimpses of the devastation in remote parts of the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, which was lashed by a cyclone over the weekend, indicated that the known death toll of 11 could rise, perhaps sharply, relief workers said on Tuesday. | HONG KONG — Initial glimpses of the devastation in remote parts of the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, which was lashed by a cyclone over the weekend, indicated that the known death toll of 11 could rise, perhaps sharply, relief workers said on Tuesday. |
| The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a report about Tropical Cyclone Pam that it had confirmed 11 fatalities, revising an earlier report that said 24 people were known to have been killed. But that count did not include more isolated islands where fierce winds of 160 miles an hour and more leveled many homes as the cyclone struck Vanuatu starting late Friday. | The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a report about Tropical Cyclone Pam that it had confirmed 11 fatalities, revising an earlier report that said 24 people were known to have been killed. But that count did not include more isolated islands where fierce winds of 160 miles an hour and more leveled many homes as the cyclone struck Vanuatu starting late Friday. |
| Communication with more remote islands remained patchy on Tuesday, but accounts trickling in from pilots, satellite phones and radio messages indicated widespread devastation, Aurélia Balpe, the Pacific regional head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said by telephone from Fiji. | Communication with more remote islands remained patchy on Tuesday, but accounts trickling in from pilots, satellite phones and radio messages indicated widespread devastation, Aurélia Balpe, the Pacific regional head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said by telephone from Fiji. |
| A pilot who had flown to Tanna, an island in the south of the archipelago that was crossed by the eye of the cyclone, reported that “basically, there were no traditional houses standing,” Ms. Balpe said. | A pilot who had flown to Tanna, an island in the south of the archipelago that was crossed by the eye of the cyclone, reported that “basically, there were no traditional houses standing,” Ms. Balpe said. |
| “We’ve been told that at least half of the concrete structures have been damaged in some way,” she added. “A volunteer on the ground found it very hard to describe what he was seeing.” | “We’ve been told that at least half of the concrete structures have been damaged in some way,” she added. “A volunteer on the ground found it very hard to describe what he was seeing.” |
| Alice Clements, a spokeswoman for Unicef in Port-Vila, Vanuatu’s capital, said initial surveys of Tanna revealed a picture of devastation. | |
| An Australian air surveillance team said in a report shared with aid workers late Tuesday that there was widespread destruction in the smaller settlements on Tanna. | An Australian air surveillance team said in a report shared with aid workers late Tuesday that there was widespread destruction in the smaller settlements on Tanna. |
| About 70 percent of the buildings in the island’s capital, Isangel, were damaged, it reported, and crops appeared to be spoiled but were still standing. | About 70 percent of the buildings in the island’s capital, Isangel, were damaged, it reported, and crops appeared to be spoiled but were still standing. |
| But in smaller settlements on the island, including Yarouareung in the south and Lowiteul in the north, 100 percent of buildings had been damaged, the report said. In some small settlements, no people could be seen from the air. | But in smaller settlements on the island, including Yarouareung in the south and Lowiteul in the north, 100 percent of buildings had been damaged, the report said. In some small settlements, no people could be seen from the air. |
| The devastation in the smaller villages is “frightening,” said Tom Perry, a spokesman for Care Australia. “There has been a lot of damage to these smaller settlements.” | The devastation in the smaller villages is “frightening,” said Tom Perry, a spokesman for Care Australia. “There has been a lot of damage to these smaller settlements.” |
| Mr. Perry added that the runway at the Tanna airport was functional but that the roof of the terminal had been blown off. | Mr. Perry added that the runway at the Tanna airport was functional but that the roof of the terminal had been blown off. |
| Ms. Clements of Unicef said the cyclone’s destructive power had forced 80 percent of Tanna’s population of about 30,000 to abandon home. There were also worries about Epi, an island with about 5,000 people. An aerial survey indicated that seawater had been pushed far inland by the cyclone, Ms. Clements said. | Ms. Clements of Unicef said the cyclone’s destructive power had forced 80 percent of Tanna’s population of about 30,000 to abandon home. There were also worries about Epi, an island with about 5,000 people. An aerial survey indicated that seawater had been pushed far inland by the cyclone, Ms. Clements said. |
| Vanuatu has a population of about 270,000 people on 65 inhabited islands, with 50,000 people in Port-Vila. Up to 60,000 children need humanitarian assistance immediately, Unicef said, and one aid worker on Vanuatu, Gaelle Sevenier, reported that food supplies were quickly running out. | |
| “Everything is wiped out,” she said in a report provided by Unicef. “There’s some fruit on the ground from fallen trees, but soon there’ll be nothing. Families have told me they only have a little rice left, if anything at all.” | |
| Narua Joe Kwane, chief of a 200-person village near Port-Vila, said the cyclone tore down all the houses. “We now have to live outside, sleep outside with the children, and it may rain again,” he told Unicef workers. “So far no one came, no one gave us food. We have no water, nothing.” | |
| Jennifer Worthington, a humanitarian coordinator with Oxfam in Port-Vila, said by telephone on Monday that it could be two days or longer before a clearer picture of the destruction emerges. “In the outer islands, people live in thatched huts and things made of local materials, so you can imagine the impact of the cyclone there,” she said. | |
| “It was a Category 5 cyclone, so we can anticipate the worst,” she said. Category 5 is the most intense level on the scale of tropical cyclone strength. | “It was a Category 5 cyclone, so we can anticipate the worst,” she said. Category 5 is the most intense level on the scale of tropical cyclone strength. |
| By Monday, sporadic power and water supplies were returning to Port-Vila. But the widespread damage to homes had forced thousands to find shelter in schools, churches and other buildings. The United Nations said 3,300 people were living in 37 evacuation centers on Efate, the most populous island of Vanuatu, which includes Port-Vila, as well as in two other provinces, or island clusters, of the archipelago. | By Monday, sporadic power and water supplies were returning to Port-Vila. But the widespread damage to homes had forced thousands to find shelter in schools, churches and other buildings. The United Nations said 3,300 people were living in 37 evacuation centers on Efate, the most populous island of Vanuatu, which includes Port-Vila, as well as in two other provinces, or island clusters, of the archipelago. |
| “The numbers mean that there aren’t enough latrines, and that could be a health risk,” Mark le Roux, the Vanuatu country director for the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, said by telephone from Port-Vila. | “The numbers mean that there aren’t enough latrines, and that could be a health risk,” Mark le Roux, the Vanuatu country director for the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, said by telephone from Port-Vila. |
| “This is going to be years in recovery,” Mr. le Roux said, noting the devastation of crops. “A lot of the coconut trees and all that has been completely wiped out, and that’s a large amount of their income.” | “This is going to be years in recovery,” Mr. le Roux said, noting the devastation of crops. “A lot of the coconut trees and all that has been completely wiped out, and that’s a large amount of their income.” |
| The Australian foreign minister, Julie Bishop, said on Tuesday that her country would send a search-and-rescue team to Vanuatu later in the day to assess damage and recovery needs. | The Australian foreign minister, Julie Bishop, said on Tuesday that her country would send a search-and-rescue team to Vanuatu later in the day to assess damage and recovery needs. |
| The Australian defense minister, Kevin Andrews, said that forces from Australia, Britain, France and New Zealand were flying reconnaissance missions or providing aid, and that the United States was prepared to send a disaster relief team. | The Australian defense minister, Kevin Andrews, said that forces from Australia, Britain, France and New Zealand were flying reconnaissance missions or providing aid, and that the United States was prepared to send a disaster relief team. |