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PRESIDENT Baldwin Lonsdale flew back from a UN disaster conference in Japan to cyclone-flattened Vanuatu yesterday, revealing that he had been unable to contact his family.
“We do not know if our families are safe or not. As the leader of the nation, my whole heart is for the people, the nation,” he said.
The president said that six people were confirmed dead and 30 injured from Cyclone Pam, which destroyed or damaged 90 per cent of the buildings in the capital Port Vila alone, when it hit over the weekend.
However, government officials had still not made contact with outlying islands by last night and were struggling to determine the scale of devastation.
Outside Port Vila even modern bridges had been downed, making travel by vehicle impossible around the main island of Efate.
National Disaster Management Office co-ordinator Paolo Malatu said that officials had dispatched every plane and helicopter they could to fly over the hard-hit outer islands.
They expected to get full reports from the crews early this morning.
“The damage to homes and infrastructure is severe. The priority at the moment is to get people water, food and shelter,” said Mr Malatu.
Port Vila’s damaged airport reopened yesterday, allowing some aid and relief flights to reach the country.
Mr Lonsdale said that a wide range of items was needed, from tarpaulins and water containers to medical supplies and construction tools.
The city’s hospital has been overwhelmed with patients and some beds have been moved outside due to fears that the building is no longer safe.
“The wards have all been evacuated because of structural damage,” said surgeon Richard Leona.
“We are badly needing this help. We need to get an urgent drug supply and food and also set up a mobile hospital to deal with the influx of patients coming in.”
Many residents spent yesterday clearing away fallen trees and cleaning up what was left of their houses.
Those left homeless were generally staying with family members whose houses had withstood the storm or sleeping in temporary shelters provided by aid agencies, said Unicef spokeswoman Alice Clements.
