Cyclone Pam slams Vanuatu

epa04668875 Students sift through their damaged classroom at the Lenakel Presbyterian School on Tanna Island, Vanuatu, 19 March 2015. The Vanuatu islands were the hardest hit when Tropical Cyclone Pam began ripping through the South Pacific on 14 March. The cluster of dozens of islands, home to more than a quarter million people, saw winds of more than 250 kilometres per hour and flooding caused by heavy rains. EPA/DAVE HUNT AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT ORG XMIT: DHU110

Village chief Philip Kasamu poses on a smashed hut destroyed by Cyclone Pam, Thursday, March 19, 2015, on Tanna Island, Vanuatu. Tanna Island in the southern part of the Vanuatu archipelago was one of the hardest hit when Cyclone Pam tore through the South Pacific nation early Saturday. The cyclone's 270 kilometer (168 mile) per hour winds pummeled lush tropical forests on Tanna into a brown jumble of broken trunks and strewn branches. (AP Photo/Nick Perry) ORG XMIT: RPNP102

Women wash clothes Thursday, March 19, 2015, on Tanna Island, Vanuatu. Tanna Island in the southern part of the Vanuatu archipelago was one of the hardest hit when Cyclone Pam tore through the South Pacific nation early Saturday. The cyclone's 270 kilometer (168 mile) per hour winds pummeled lush tropical forests on Tanna into a brown jumble of broken trunks and strewn branches. (AP Photo/Nick Perry) ORG XMIT: RPNP104

epa04668868 Week old Angelina Watskal is held by her grandmother Mercy Watskal at the Enima Evacuation Centre on Tanna Island, Vanuatu, 19 March 2015. More than 100 homeless people live in the evacuation centre, with humanitarian aid is still to reach the Island since Cyclone Pam hit the region on 14 March. The Vanuatu islands were the hardest hit when Tropical Cyclone cyclone began ripping through the South Pacific. The cluster of dozens of islands, home to more than a quarter million people, saw winds of more than 250 kilometres per hour and flooding caused by heavy rains. EPA/DAVE HUNT AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT ORG XMIT: DHU101

epaselect epa04668871 A young boy squats next to an elder while a group of villagers listens to information given to them at the Enima Evacuation Centre on Tanna Island, Vanuatu, 19 March 2015. More than 100 homeless people live in the evacuation centre, with humanitarian aid is still to reach the Island since Cyclone Pam hit the region on 14 March. The Vanuatu islands were the hardest hit when Tropical Cyclone cyclone began ripping through the South Pacific. The cluster of dozens of islands, home to more than a quarter million people, saw winds of more than 250 kilometres per hour and flooding caused by heavy rains. EPA/DAVE HUNT AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT ORG XMIT: DHU105

epa04668876 A villager walks through a damaged classroom on Tanna Island, Vanuatu, 19 March 2015. The Vanuatu islands were the hardest hit when Tropical Cyclone Pam began ripping through the South Pacific on 14 March. The cluster of dozens of islands, home to more than a quarter million people, saw winds of more than 250 kilometres per hour and flooding caused by heavy rains. EPA/DAVE HUNT AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT ORG XMIT: DHU109

TOPSHOTS People put clothes out to dry on March 19, 2015 in the Catholic french speaking Lycee De Montmartre, 5 km from Port Vila after Severe Tropical Cyclone Pam hit the Pacific nation of Vanuatu. Vanuatu has hit out at aid groups swarming the cyclone-ravaged Pacific nation over a lack of coordination, which it said cost precious time getting help to those in need, while warning food will run out in a week. AFP PHOTO / FRED PAYETFRED PAYET/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: 538983171

A woman works in a damaged building on March 19, 2015 in the Catholic french speaking Lycee De Montmartre, 5 km from Port Vila after Severe Tropical Cyclone Pam hit the Pacific nation of Vanuatu. Vanuatu has hit out at aid groups swarming the cyclone-ravaged Pacific nation over a lack of coordination, which it said cost precious time getting help to those in need, while warning food will run out in a week. AFP PHOTO / FRED PAYETFRED PAYET/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: 538981642

epa04668874 A woman looks on amongst the ruins of her home on the remote south-west coast of Tanna Island, Vanuatu, 19 March 2015. The Vanuatu islands were the hardest hit when Tropical Cyclone Pam began ripping through the South Pacific on 14 March. The cluster of dozens of islands, home to more than a quarter million people, saw winds of more than 250 kilometres per hour and flooding caused by heavy rains. EPA/DAVE HUNT AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT ORG XMIT: DHU108

TOPSHOTS Residents walk past a house badly damaged by Cyclone Pam on the Vanuatu island of Tanna on March 18, 2015. Aid began arriving in some of cyclone-hit Vanuatu's worst affected islands on March 18 but others remain isolated, with flights over the Pacific nation showing desperate villagers spelling out the letter "H" for help. AFP PHOTO / JEREMY PIPERJEREMY PIPER/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: 538951797

TOPSHOTS A picture taken on March 18, 2015 shows destruction in Port Vila after Severe Tropical Cyclone Pam hit the Pacific nation of Vanuatu. Aid was due to reach some of cyclone-hit Vanuatu's worst affected islands but others remained isolated, with flights over the Pacific nation showing desperate villagers spelling out the letter "H" for help. AFP PHOTO / FRED PAYETFRED PAYET/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: 538951777

Books recovered from a school are left out to dry in Port Vila on March 18, 2015 after Severe Tropical Cyclone Pam hit the Pacific nation of Vanuatu. Aid was due to reach some of cyclone-hit Vanuatu's worst affected islands but others remained isolated, with flights over the Pacific nation showing desperate villagers spelling out the letter "H" for help. AFP PHOTO / FRED PAYETFRED PAYET/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: 538951060

PORT VILA, VANUATU - MARCH 17: In this handout image provided by UNICEF, little boy Ceriel (11 months) and his mother Marie pose at their village, Taunono community, after it was completely destroyed by Cyclone Pam, on March 17, 2015 in Port Vila, Vanuatu.The Category 5 storm hit late night on March 13, causing widespread damage in the archipelago nation of Vanuatu, located about 1,750 kilometres east of northern Australia in the South Pacific Ocean. Officials have said that nine out of 10 of the country's buildings have been destroyed, according to published reports. (Photo by UNICEF via Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 542810737 ORIG FILE ID: 466639802

TOPSHOTS TO GO WITH "VANUATU-WEATHER-CYCLONE-OPTIMISM" BY GLENDA KWEK Photo taken on March 17, 2015 shows a mother with her child sitting outside their damaged home amongst the debris of fallen trees in Vanuatu's capital Port Vila, after Cyclone Pam ripped through the island nation. Despite the devastation from Cyclone Pam the people of Vanuatu have kept positive, typifying the cheerful outlook and easy demeanour that has seen the island nation described as the "happiest place on earth" almost a decade ago by British think-tank New Economics Foundation. AFP PHOTO/Jeremy PIPERJEREMY PIPER/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: 538951497

PORT VILA, VANUATU - MARCH 17: In this handout image provided by UNICEF, damaged boats on the port of Port Vila are seen after being struck by Cyclone Pam, on March 17, 2015 in Port Vila, Vanuatu.The Category 5 storm hit late night on March 13, causing widespread damage in the archipelago nation of Vanuatu, located about 1,750 kilometres east of northern Australia in the South Pacific Ocean. Officials have said that nine out of 10 of the country's buildings have been destroyed, according to published reports. (Photo by UNICEF via Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 542810737 ORIG FILE ID: 466639818

Australian doctors helping in the aftermath of Cyclone Pam give medical aid to a young girl on the Vanuatu island of Tanna on March 18, 2015. Aid began arriving in some of cyclone-hit Vanuatu's worst affected islands on March 18 but others remain isolated, with flights over the Pacific nation showing desperate villagers spelling out the letter "H" for help. AFP PHOTO / JEREMY PIPERJEREMY PIPER/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: 538951032

A young boy walks past a house badly damaged by Cyclone Pam on the Vanuatu island of Tanna on March 18, 2015. Aid began arriving in some of cyclone-hit Vanuatu's worst affected islands on March 18 but others remain isolated, with flights over the Pacific nation showing desperate villagers spelling out the letter "H" for help. AFP PHOTO / JEREMY PIPERJEREMY PIPER/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: 538950890

PORT VILA, VANUATU - MARCH 17: In this handout image provided by UNICEF, a family in Nikinini community (mother Josephine, and children Angelica (12), Jacquie (9), Jessica (1) and Bojel (8), are seen after they lost everything after being struck by Cyclone Pam, on March 17, 2015 in Port Vila, Vanuatu.The Category 5 storm hit late night on March 13, causing widespread damage in the archipelago nation of Vanuatu, located about 1,750 kilometres east of northern Australia in the South Pacific Ocean. Officials have said that nine out of 10 of the country's buildings have been destroyed, according to published reports. (Photo by UNICEF via Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 542810737 ORIG FILE ID: 466639808

A picture taken on March 18, 2015 shows a general view of the shantytown areas of Port Vila after Severe Tropical Cyclone Pam hit the Pacific nation of Vanuatu. Aid was due to reach some of cyclone-hit Vanuatu's worst affected islands but others remained isolated, with flights over the Pacific nation showing desperate villagers spelling out the letter "H" for help. AFP PHOTO / FRED PAYETFRED PAYET/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: 538949402

PORT VILA, VANUATU - MARCH 17: In this handout image provided by UNICEF, a view of the Taunono community, which was completely destroyed by Cyclone Pam, on March 17, 2015 in Port Vila, Vanuatu.The Category 5 storm hit late night on March 13, causing widespread damage in the archipelago nation of Vanuatu, located about 1,750 kilometres east of northern Australia in the South Pacific Ocean. Officials have said that nine out of 10 of the country's buildings have been destroyed, according to published reports. (Photo by UNICEF via Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 542810737 ORIG FILE ID: 466639810

epa04665837 People grieve as they transport the body of 20 year-old Eddy Willy on the loading bay of a pickup truck to his burial in the island of Tanna, Vanuatu, 17 March 2015. Aid has arrived in the nation's capital after tropical Cyclone Pam hit the region on 14 March, but is yet to reach Tanna which was one of the hardest hit Islands in the region. Vanuatu is working to restore essential services, as relief agencies scanned the archipelago ravaged by the worst cyclone on record in the South Pacific. The confirmed death toll from Cyclone Pam in the country rose to 24 on 17 March, although aid agencies said the number could rise as relief workers reach more remote areas in the cluster's more than 60 islands. EPA/DAVE HUNT AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT ORG XMIT: DH104

epa04665839 Local residents walk on a road on the island of Tanna, Vanuatu, 17 March 2015. Aid has arrived in the nation's capital after tropical Cyclone Pam hit the region on 14 March, but is yet to reach Tanna which was one of the hardest hit Islands in the region. Vanuatu is working to restore essential services, as relief agencies scanned the archipelago ravaged by the worst cyclone on record in the South Pacific. The confirmed death toll from Cyclone Pam in the country rose to 24 on 17 March, although aid agencies said the number could rise as relief workers reach more remote areas in the cluster's more than 60 islands. EPA/DAVE HUNT AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT ORG XMIT: DH107

epa04665835 Lana Silona prepares food with her son Costello in front of their ruined home on the island of Tanna, Vanuatu, 17 March 2015. Aid has arrived in the nation's capital after tropical Cyclone Pam hit the region on 14 March, but is yet to reach Tanna which was one of the hardest hit Islands in the region. Vanuatu is working to restore essential services, as relief agencies scanned the archipelago ravaged by the worst cyclone on record in the South Pacific. The confirmed death toll from Cyclone Pam in the country rose to 24 on 17 March, although aid agencies said the number could rise as relief workers reach more remote areas in the cluster's more than 60 islands. EPA/DAVE HUNT AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT ORG XMIT: DH102

TOPSHOTS A woman sits outside her damaged home in Vanuatu's capital Port Vila on March 17, 2015 after Cyclone Pam ripped through the island nation. Vanuatu warned it faces imminent food shortages as accounts emerged of huge damage to a large outer island, days after one of the fiercest cyclones on record pummelled the sprawling Pacific nation. AFP PHOTO/Jeremy PIPERJEREMY PIPER/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: 538921113

TOPSHOTS Children play in the debris in Vanuatu's capital Port Vila on March 17, 2015 after Cyclone Pam ripped through the island nation. The UN said that twenty-four people have been killed by Cyclone Pam, as the Pacific nation's president pleaded for help to rebuild the archipelago's "completely destroyed" infrastructure. AFP PHOTO/Jeremy PIPERJEREMY PIPER/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: 538921111

This photo taken on March 17, 2015 shows men trying to repair a damaged bridge in Port-Vila, in cyclone-ravaged Vanuatu after Super Tropical Cyclone Pam tore through on March 13, packing wind gusts of up to 320 kilometres (200 miles) an hour. Vanuatu warned on March 17, 2015 it faces imminent food shortages as accounts emerged of huge damage to a large outer island, days after one of the fiercest cyclones on record pummelled the Pacific archipelago. AFP PHOTO / FRED PAYETFRED PAYET/AFP/Getty Images ORG XMIT: - ORIG FILE ID: 538921088

epa04665481 Workers commence the repair of a gaping hole in the side of 'The Big Sista' after it was struck by another boat during tropical cyclone Pam in Port Vila, Vanuatu, 17 March 2015. Whole villages have been blown away and homes have been flattened after Cyclone Pam ripped through the Pacific Island nation. The UN has unconfirmed reports that the cyclone has killed 44 people in one province alone and Oxfam says the destruction in Port Vila is massive, with 90 per cent of houses damaged. EPA/DAVE HUNT AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT ORG XMIT: VAN

Residents clean up their homes in Vanuatu's capital Port Vila on March 17, 2015 after Cyclone Pam ripped through the island nation. Vanuatu warned it faces imminent food shortages as accounts emerged of huge damage to a large outer island, days after one of the fiercest cyclones on record pummelled the sprawling Pacific nation. AFP PHOTO/Jeremy PIPERJEREMY PIPER/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: 538912272

TOPSHOTS Residents clean up their homes in Vanuatu's capital Port Vila on March 17, 2015 after Cyclone Pam ripped through the island nation. Vanuatu warned it faces imminent food shortages as accounts emerged of huge damage to a large outer island, days after one of the fiercest cyclones on record pummelled the sprawling Pacific nation. AFP PHOTO/Jeremy PIPERJEREMY PIPER/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: 538918797

TOPSHOTS This photo taken on March 16, 2015 shows an Australian RAAF C-17 Globemaster plane full of aid on the way to Vanuatu's airport in the capital Port Via after Cyclone Pam ripped through the island nation. The UN said on March 17, 2015 that twenty-four people have been killed by Cyclone Pam, as the Pacific nation's president pleaded for help to rebuild the archipelago's "completely destroyed" infrastructure. AFP PHOTO / POOL / DAVE HUNTDAVE HUNT/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: 538918795

TOPSHOTS This photo taken on March 16, 2015 shows a young boy kicking a ball as his father searches through the ruins of their family home in Vanuatu's capital Port Vila after Cyclone Pam ripped through the island nation. The UN said on March 17, 2015 that twenty-four people have been killed by Cyclone Pam, as the Pacific nation's president pleaded for help to rebuild the archipelago's "completely destroyed" infrastructure. AFP PHOTO/POOL/Dave HUNTDAVE HUNT/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: 538918785

Damage to houses in Port Vila, Vanuatu is seen from the air in the aftermath of Cyclone Pam Monday, March 16, 2015. Vanuatu's President Baldwin Lonsdale said Monday that the cyclone that hammered the tiny South Pacific archipelago over the weekend was a "monster" that has destroyed or damaged 90 percent of the buildings in the capital and has forced the nation to start anew. (AP Photo/Dave Hunt, Pool) ORG XMIT: SYD101

Uwen Garae surveys his destroyed house in Port Vila, Vanuatu.

Clothes sit on the ground to dry at the home of Adrian Banga.

Adrian Banga surveys his Cyclone Pam destroyed home in Port Vila, Vanuatu.

Children make their way amidst rubble in a street after Cyclone Pam hit Vanuatu island, South Pacific region, on March 15, 2015. This storm is the worst tropical cyclone on record in the South Pacific.

Vanuatu Red Cross President Hannington Alatoa speaks during the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies at the third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai on Sunday. Cyclone-devastated Vanuatu declared a state of emergency as relief agencies scrambled to get help to the Pacific nation amid reports entire villages were "blown away" when a monster storm swept through.

Privates load camp beds and tents into a French Army logistical transport plane bound for Vanuatu, transporting food, water and relief, at the Aerial Military Base Lieutenant Paul Klein (formerly known as La Tontouta), north of Noumea, New Caledonia, on Sunday.

A warning sign stands on a road which was damaged in the cause of Cyclone Pam on Vanuatu island, South Pacific region.

This road was damaged by Cyclone Pam on Vanuatu island. Tropical Cylone Pam ripped through the cluster of more than 60 islands claiming several lives and causing widespread damage.

A woman removes debris from a home, Sunday, after Cyclone Pam hit Vanuatu island,

Troops put food and water supplies onto a pallet for aid relief to be loaded into a French Army logistical transport plane bound for Vanuatu on Sunday.

Residents clean their homes, Sunday on Vanuatu island, after the devastation of Cyclone Pam.

epa04661704 A handout photo provided by UNICEF Pacific on 14 March 2015 of people looking at a severly damaged boats and yachts in a harbor on Vanuatu island, South Pacific region, 14 March 2015. Tropical Cyclone Pam reportedly claimed at least five lives 14 March in the South Pacific and the toll was feared to climb from one of the strongest such storms on record. The cyclone ripped its way through an area dotted with islands, bringing powerful winds, heavy rain and rough seas. Vanuatu Island appeared to be hardest hit as the cyclone was slowly tracking south-south-east towards New Zealand. EPA/GRAHAM CRUMB / UNICEF PACIFIC / HANDOUT MANDATORY CREDIT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES ORG XMIT: VAN104

epa04661701 A handout photo provided by UNICEF Pacific on 14 March 2015 of people walking along a seaside with waves splashing on land on Vanuatu island, South Pacific region, 14 March 2015. Tropical Cyclone Pam reportedly claimed at least five lives 14 March in the South Pacific and the toll was feared to climb from one of the strongest such storms on record. The cyclone ripped its way through an area dotted with islands, bringing powerful winds, heavy rain and rough seas. Vanuatu Island appeared to be hardest hit as the cyclone was slowly tracking south-south-east towards New Zealand. EPA/GRAHAM CRUMB / UNICEF PACIFIC / HANDOUT MANDATORY CREDIT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES ORG XMIT: VAN101

TUVALU - MARCH 14: In this handout image provided by Plan International Australia, Residents take shelter as flood waters move inland, on March 14, 2015 on the island of Tuvalu. Cyclone Pam is pounding South Pacific islands with hurricane force winds, huge ocean swells and flash flooding. (Photo by Plan International Australia via Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 529364175 ORIG FILE ID: 466171458

KIRIBATI - MARCH 14: (BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE) In this handout image provided by Plan International Australia, debris is left by a strom surge after flood waters moved inland, March 14, 2015 on the island of Kiribati. Cyclone Pam is pounding South Pacific islands with hurricane force winds, huge ocean swells and flash flooding. (Photo by Plan International Australia via Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 542810737 ORIG FILE ID: 466174058

In this image provided by UNICEF Pacific people scour through debris damaged and flung around in Port Vila, Vanuatu, Saturday, March 14, 2015, in the aftermath of Cyclone Pam. Winds from the extremely powerful cyclone that blew through the Pacific's Vanuatu archipelago are beginning to subside, revealing widespread destruction. (AP Photo/UNICEF Pacific, Humans of Vanuatu) EDITORIAL USE ONLY, NO SALES ORG XMIT: SYD807

In this photo provided by non-profit organization 350.org, a woman, left, and man gather items in Port Vila, Vanuatu, Saturday, March 14, 2015, in the aftermath of Cyclone Pam. Winds from the extremely powerful cyclone that blew through the Pacific's Vanuatu archipelago are beginning to subside, revealing widespread destruction. (AP Photo/350.org, Isso Nihemi ) EDITORIAL USE ONLY, NO SALES ORG XMIT: SYD805

KIRIBATI - MARCH 14: (BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE) In this handout image provided by Plan International Australia, debris is left by a strom surge after flood waters moved inland, March 14, 2015 on the island of Kiribati. Cyclone Pam is pounding South Pacific islands with hurricane force winds, huge ocean swells and flash flooding. (Photo by Plan International Australia via Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 529364175 ORIG FILE ID: 466174116

A man looks at the sea on March 14, 2015 in the Anse Vata, south of Noumea, New Caledonia. Rain and wind were observed in the island but the Tropical Cyclone Pam had little effect on Noumea. The maximum category five cyclone hit Vanuatu island, 500 km east of New Caledonia, late on March 13 and early indications suggest widespread damage, including in the capital in Port Vila, with fears dozens of people could have died across the country. AFP PHOTO / FRED PAYETFRED PAYET/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: 538823045

TUVALU - MARCH 14: (BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE) In this handout image provided by Plan International Australia, residents rescue belongings as flood waters move inland, on March 14, 2015 on the island of Tuvalu. Cyclone Pam is pounding South Pacific islands with hurricane force winds, huge ocean swells and flash flooding. (Photo by Plan International Australia via Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 529364175 ORIG FILE ID: 466172584

In this image provided by UNICEF Pacific, people walk past debris is scattered on a street in Port Vila, Vanuatu, Saturday, March 14, 2015, in the aftermath of Cyclone Pam. Winds from the extremely powerful cyclone that blew through the Pacific's Vanuatu archipelago are beginning to subside, revealing widespread destruction. (AP Photo/UNICEF Pacific, Humans of Vanuatu) EDITORIAL USE ONLY, NO SALES ORG XMIT: SYD812