Cyclone devastates island nation of Vanuatu

Cyclone Pam, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the Pacific Ocean, devastated the island nation of Vanuatu early Saturday, tearing off roofs, uprooting trees and killing as many as 44 people, officials said.

Aid officials have so-far confirmed eight deaths caused by the Category 5 storm, but the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said there were unconfirmed reports of 44 people killed in Vanuatu's northeastern islands. Officials warn the toll could rise even higher.

The cyclone had wind speeds that averaged 168 miles per hour, with gusts up to 210 miles per hour, according to the U.N. office. It said the periphery of the eye of the storm had passed over islands that are home to several thousand people and was expected to hit or come close to the island of Efate, home to the capital, Port Vila.

Located about a quarter of the way from Australia to Hawaii, Vanuatu has a population of 267,000 spread over 65 islands. About 47,000 people live in the capital.

"It felt like the world was going to end," said Alice Clements, a spokeswoman for the U.N. children's fund UNICEF who was caught in the storm. "It's like a bomb has gone off in the center of the town. There is no power. There is no water."

The U.N. was preparing a major relief operation, and Australia said it was ready to offer its neighbor whatever help it could. 

"The immediate concern is for a very high death toll but also an enormous amount of destruction and devastation," Sune Gudnitz, head of the Pacific office at UNOCHA, told Reuters from nearby Fiji, which is also bracing for the impact of Pam.

Outlying islands may take weeks to reach, aid officials said, while a lack of clean water and widespread damage to crops meant the situation could deteriorate sharply in coming days.

Vanuatu has repeatedly warned that it is already suffering the devastating effects of climate change, with the island's coastal areas being washed away, forcing resettlement to higher ground and smaller yields on traditional crops.

Vanuatu had earlier issued a red alert to its residents, urging them to take shelter from Pam.

Authorities in New Zealand are preparing for the storm, which is forecast to pass north of the country on Sunday and Monday.

Authorities and aid agencies were bracing for a huge cleanup and urgent medical needs as the storm passes. Priorities would include ensuring drinking water was safe and that children could go to school, UNICEF said.

Flash floods and strong winds have also hit Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Solomon Islands, causing significant damage.

"This ... shows just how much the Pacific region needs investment and support for effective risk reduction measures against cyclones, perhaps more than any other place in the world," Aurelia Balpe, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in the Pacific, told Reuters.

Wire services