The island nation of Vanuatu, an idyllic paradise located exactly 1,200 miles off of the coast of Brisbane, Australia, is now dealing with one of nature’s most horrifying spectacles. It was feared that Cyclone Pam, which had been under surveillance by numerous weather groups and news agencies, could grow to be a Category 5 storm.
Sadly, those fears have come to pass within the past hour. Cyclone Pam has made landfall in the capital of Port Vila, nestled on the country’s coastline. It had been hoped that the storm would continue to track away from Vanuatu in a westward fashion as late as Thursday night and weaken in the process. Unfortunately, Cyclone Pam built up enough strength to be upgraded and kept on course. Vanuatu’s situation is perilous due to a couple of factors, the first being that it is an archipelago of 83 islands. These islands don’t offer much in the way of having shelters that can withstand the fury of a storm like this; the most stable structures that are available to its 250,000 residents come in the form of churches, university buildings and other schools. Outside of that, those who live in housing best suited to the South Pacific climate that’s made of corrugated roofing and walls along with straw have to resort to boarding up their windows. Another pressing factor is that there is expected to be 48 hours of contiguous rainfall, potentially causing flooding on Vanuatu to rise in some parts up to 16 inches. Landslides are also expected. As a result, all travel had been suspended as of yesterday morning.
Major relief agencies such as UNICEF are monitoring Cyclone Pam closely, while grimly making plans to call for an urgent and massive aid response. The last storm of this magnitude to make landfall was when Super Typhoon Haiyan struck the Phillipines in 2013. As last report, Cyclone Pam has sustained a wind rate of 165 miles per hour and has been dubbed the ‘Vanuatu Monster’ in some bulletins. The storm has also affected the Solomon Islands and Kiribati. The cyclone is expected to lessen in impact once it leaves Vanuatu, but New Zealand has enacted a severe storm watch in preparation for its potential landfall on its North Island over the weekend.
