On an early Saturday morning, the small Oceania nation of Vanuatu was hit by what may have been the most powerful storm on record to hit the Pacific. A state of emergency has been declared in the tiny nation of only 267,000 people that is spread across 65 islands. At least eight islanders have been confirmed dead since authorities have begun to assess the extent of the storm damage. Unfortunately, it’s expected that once authorities reach the hardly accessible outlying parts of the nation, the death count will skyrocket. The thousands of islanders who flocked to emergency shelters during the storm are now spending their second night in the shelters.

It was later revealed that Cyclone Pam has been categorized as a Category 5 Storm (the most severe) with wind speeds of over 185mph. Even days after the storm hit, Vanuatu authorities are still struggling to ascertain the full extent of the damage Pam caused. It is clear that communication across the country has been crippled and that power lines and trees are blocking roads across the nation, making it nightmarish for any relief effort. Fortunately, the first of many planned supply planes from New Zealand and Australia have landed in the capital Port Vila. The United Kingdom, France, the United Nations, and the European Union have also promised aid for the nation.

Oxfam Australia, the Australian arm of the international organization focused of combating poverty around the world, is on the ground in Vanuatu and has estimated that over 90% of housing in Port Vila has been destroyed. Oxfam’s Colin Collet van Rooyen was quoted as saying, “This is likely to be one of the worst disasters ever seen in the Pacific.” “The scale of humanitarian need will be enormous and the proud people of Vanuatu are going to need a lot of help to rebuild their homes and their lives.” Alice Clements, a spokesperson for UNICEF was quoted as saying that there were “15-30 minutes of absolute terror” across the nation. Carina Smith, a British doctor on vacation in Vanuatu at the time of the storm has said of the situation in Port Vila, “It’s devastation out there, buildings, trees, power lines are down. Water isn’t running clean from taps any more so there’s a concern about contamination, I’ve been up at the hospital and there’s severe damage to the hospital, which is the capital city hospital and a referral hospital for all the archipelago of islands – it’s lost most of its roof and it’s flooded.”

The President of Vanuatu has made impassioned pleas to the international community asking for immediate aid and assistance. It is unlikely that the full extent of the damage will be known anytime soon. There have been unconfirmed reports of another 44 islanders in the Penama province in the north-east of the country having died in the storm. Cyclone Pam also made landfall in Kiribati and the Solomon Islands with major damage being reported. Pam has also caused flash flooding in the tiny island chain of Tuvalu with a state of emergency being called.

FSA Connection Questions

1. In article, the author uses quotes from which three people?
2. In the piece, the word “archipelago” means what?
3. The author seems to offer what main idea?
4. Select the best two sentences from the story that support the idea of Vanuatu being crippled by Cyclone Pam.
5. What is the connotation of the word “nightmarish” in the story?