Cyclone Pam wreaks havoc in Vanuatu, 8 dead many unaccounted for

[zwiebel]

Cyclone Pam has slammed into the south Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu leaving "complete devastation" in its wake, aid agencies say.

Houses in the capital, Port Vila, were destroyed and "people are wandering the streets looking for help", said Tom Skirrow of Save the Children.

He said eight people were confirmed dead, but UN agencies say dozens may have been killed.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31883712

It's feared dozens may be dead as many people are unaccounted for and it's a subsistence-farming island. One specific person media has said is missing is Cameron Cook. Tahnia Cook, his wife, hasn't been able to get hold of him since Friday Australian time. She is an Australian in Queensland but she and her husband run a small business on Vanuatu.

I've seen a couple of photos of Cameron wearing NY t-shirts, so I'm not sure if he may originally be from the US?

I really hope these people get the help they need.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/...fter-cyclone-pam/story-fnihsrf2-1227262746063

Photo link: http://video.news.ninemsn.com.au/?uuid=4110921313001

 

[zwiebel]

Vanuatu (which is a small Pacific island) has appealed for help. Said it was like a bomb going off in the center of town.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/03/vanuatu-cyclone-pacific-150313230156884.html

 

[SouthAussie]

Hopefully they are all hunkered down somewhere, and just have no phone or internet contact to let people know that they are okay.

This FB page says that there are a lot of people who various Aussies and others have not been able to reach there since the cyclone hit. It is a page where the concerned people can speak with each other and pass along info.

https://www.facebook.com/HigginsStormChasing/posts/797209403708182


(Also, Cameron Cook's FB page says he went to high school in Queensland, so I think he is an Aussie.)

 

[zwiebel]

Ms Cook is booked to return to Vanuatu tomorrow, and plans to make her way back to her husband “however I can”.

While quietly confident of her husband’s safety, she believes there will be fatalities in the area surrounding the resort. “People see the destruction in Port Vila, but North Erfate was hit directly and harder. The devastation is going to be five times worse than we’re seeing in Vila at the moment.”

Ms Cook last spoke to Cameron at 5pm on Friday...

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/new...-news-of-husband/story-e6frg6nf-1227265388067

 

[zwiebel]

Residents on Chatham Islands are hunkered down, awaiting Cyclone Pam.

http://i.stuff.co.nz/national/67420348/extropical-cyclone-pam-bears-down-on-chatham-islands

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Cameron Cook has been found safe.

"The couple, who run La Mer Resort on the Epule River, were finally reunited on Wednesday after Tahnia, 28, got the first flight back to the disaster-ravaged nation from Brisbane.

She had been back in Queensland temporarily for a medical check when the cyclone hit last Friday night, with wind gusts up to 320km/h.

It wasn’t until she was waiting to board the flight on Tuesday that Cameron managed to call after four days to let her know he was alive and well"


http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/...orth-of-supplies/story-fnihsrf2-1227269657935

 

[mojave_red]

If you get a chance, check out the TOMNOD campaign to crowd-source the satellite views of damage. It's heart-rending seeing not only the buildings that have been reduced to kindling, but the forest that has also vanished.
http://www.tomnod.com/

Also, I spotted a news article, possibly from the Christian Science Monitor online, that requested books, books, and more books - the schools are trying to dry out the ones they can, but need to replace lots of books. No mention on how to get the books to the area in need, though.

 

[Yoda]

If you get a chance, check out the TOMNOD campaign to crowd-source the satellite views of damage. It's heart-rending seeing not only the buildings that have been reduced to kindling, but the forest that has also vanished.
http://www.tomnod.com/

Also, I spotted a news article, possibly from the Christian Science Monitor online, that requested books, books, and more books - the schools are trying to dry out the ones they can, but need to replace lots of books. No mention on how to get the books to the area in need, though.

I went over almost 1000 tiles on tomnod when they first launched the pics. I dislike that you can't tell where you are tagging on the map. I didn't come across as much visible structural damage as I thought. That being said, the amount of forest/trees that were wiped out was staggering. JMO