At least eight people were killed in Vanuatu Saturday as Cyclone Pam ravaged a string of tiny South Pacific islands before making its way toward New Zealand, aid officials told Reuters.
The Category 5 cyclone ravaged the Vanuatu island chain, particularly along its low-lying coastlines, which are vulnerable to tidal surges.
Aid workers said it will be days, maybe weeks, before the storm's full impact is known.
UNICEF's Alice Clements said "it's like a bomb has gone off in the centre of the town."
Australia has offered to help its neighbour in whatever way it can.
.@UNICEFPacific Alice Clements: "There's debris everywhere, there's buildings that are destroyed. This is really a catastrophe." #CyclonePam
#TCPam utter devastation in Port vila
UNICEF in Vanuatu — located between Fiji and Australia — had already said it received unconfirmed reports of deaths in the outer islands, but authorities were having a hard time communicating due to downed cellular networks and widespread power outages.
Video footage of the aftermath showed snapped trees and widespread damage to structures.
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Aid agencies rushed to assist those left without power, running water, and shelter.
The Australian Red Cross warned that "many people" had lost their homes, and that workers on the ground were reporting "unbelievable destruction" in the capital city of Port Vila.
Humanitarian needs will be enormous. Many people have lost their homes. Shelter, food and water urgent priorities. #CyclonePam
“Moments like these … our efforts are put to the test.” Jacqueline de Gailande of Vanuatu Red Cross on Cyclone #Pam
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Hawaii said the cyclone had weakened to a Category 4 as dawn rose on Saturday, local time.
Still, strong winds continued to batter the tiny islands as residents took stock of the damage.
"We are looking at total destruction of many residences...but a lot of people have heeded warnings and gone to shelters" OCHA on #CyclonePam
The archipelago nation contains 83 islands, all of them small and many of them without basic infrastructure.
Many homes are also constructed of materials that pose little resistance to winds that have topped 155 mph (250 kilometers per hour) in the Shefa and Tafea provinces, toppling trees and pushing ocean swells deep into villages.
Meanwhile, thousands of residents across the nation continued to seek shelter, aid agencies said.
Nearly 4,000 people across Vanuatu alone took refuge in shelters constructed of more sturdy materials, such as hotels and schools, Radio New Zealand reported. A quarter of those seeking shelter are reportedly in the capital city of Port Vila. The city, which sits just above sea level, is home to an estimated 40,000 people.
Guests at the holiday inn. #TCPam #CyclonePam @HIResortVanuatu
Vanuatu's disaster management office warned the Cyclone Pam's punch would also be felt economically. On the island of Tikopia, which along with Anuta took the full force of the storm, lost 90% of its crops alone, Radio New Zealand reported.
"UNICEF is preparing for the worst and hoping for the best," Clements said.
