In photos and videos: Cyclone Pam slams Vanuatu

Some 80 per cent of buildings in the capital Port Vila have been damaged or destroyed by Category 5 cyclone winds in the worst recorded natural disaster to hit the Pacific islands.

PORT VILA, VANUATU — MARCH 16: Adrian Banga surveys his destroyed house on March 16, 2015 in Port Vila, Vanuatu. Cyclone Pam has hit South Pacific islands on Saturday with hurricane force winds, huge ocean swells and flash flooding and has caused severe damage to housing. Aid agencies say it could be one of the worst disasters ever to hit the region. (Photo by Dave Hunt — Pool/Getty Images)

Local residents recounted the terror of the cyclone to relief workers.

This video will give you an idea of Pam’s aftermath.

In the video below, Jaylene tells Unicef Pacific how her house was ripped apart by Cyclone Pam while 10 people were inside.

Video by UNICEF Pacific

Six people have been confirmed dead, according to President of Vanuatu Baldwin Londsdale speaking on Monday from a UN conference on disaster response at Sendai, Japan. Communications with outlying islands has not been established and there are fears the death toll will rise.

“Port Vila is a disaster zone,” wrote MP Ralph Regenvanu on Facebook. “Power and water [are] being restored but 80% of houses [are] badly damaged if not destroyed… We only have cell phone connection in Port Vila and South Efate — North Efate and all the rest of Vanuatu [have]no communication yet so [we have] no idea what is happening outside Vila.”

Media liaison for Care Australia Tom Perry travelled with response teams to Vanuatu

'That tree just crushed your car! - Humans of Vanuatu | Facebook

Where is Vanuatu?

Vanuatu is an archipelago situated north-east of Australia’s Queensland coastline toward Hawaii. A population of some 260,000 people lives across 83 islands.

This satellite photo posted to Facebook by Fiji Meteorological Service shows the eye of Tropical Cyclone Pam passing just to the east of Vanuatu.

Almost 50,000 people live in the capital Port Vila which was worst hit by the Category 5 cyclone.

For years authorities have been warning that rising sea levels as a result of climate change was affecting life on the islands. Speaking from a UNDP conference on natural disaster risk at Sendai, Japan, before leaving for home later today,

How you can help

Governments in the Pacific have donated funds to disaster relief, however agencies are asking for donations to help reconstruction and provide shelter for those now homeless.

Rebuilding underway

The first international aid arrived on Sunday, March 15 as reconstruction got underway.

Hanna Butler is running Red Cross emergency communications in Vanuatu

Boys sit outside their flooded village. The river Prima flooded its banks Friday night as Cyclone…