This video shows the tragic impact of Cyclone Pam on remote parts of Vanuatu.
The remarkable footage was captured by the ABC’s Brant Cumming using an airborne drone. It offers a birds-eye view of the destruction wrought by the category 5 Cyclone Pam on Pacific island communities earlier this week.
Australia is currently at the forefront of an international aid mission to help the people affected in the disaster. The remoteness of some of the communities makes the aid effort difficult, with some villages beginning to run out of food.
According to Australia’s foreign minister, Julie Bishop, the southern most islands of Vanuatu has suffered significant damage.
“Particularly Tanna island, where it appears that more than 80 per cent of houses and buildings have been partially or completely destroyed,” Bishop told reporters.
“Not only buildings flattened, but palm plantations, trees. It’s quite a devastating sight.”
Relief agencies currently put the death toll at 11 but say that may rise quickly as disease and access to fresh water become an urgent issue.
If you would like to help those affected by Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu, you can make a donation via the Australian Red Cross Tropical Cyclone Pam Appeal
