"Unbelievable Destruction" In Vanuatu; Pam's Max Sustained Winds 155, Gusts To 200

[hatrack]

(CNN)Tropical Cyclone Pam, one of the most powerful storms ever to make landfall, killed at least six people and caused untold destruction as it slammed the island chain of Vanuatu. Aid workers were fearful that the death toll will rise. Hardly a tree stood straight after Pam bellowed across the South Pacific nation, where some 260,000 people live on its dozens of islands.

"It's like a bomb has gone through," said journalist Michael Maclennan, who lives in the capital Port Vila. "It's really quite apocalyptic."

Thousands of buildings were destroyed or damaged, he told CNN on Sunday morning. Most roads are blocked by fallen trees or power lines.

Aid workers say many more fatalities could be counted once outlying areas are reached. The deaths reported by the National Disaster Management Office are just from the capital, Port Vila, not the more remote and more vulnerable islands elsewhere in the archipelago.

EDIT

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/14/asia/cyclone-pam-vanuatu/index.html

[niyad]

1. I just saw this a bit ago--how utterly horrible.