The day after Pam

Much-needed aid arrives in cyclone-devastated Vanuatu »


The situation on the island is dire—food and water and shelter are all gone for a population quickly ravaged by the storm.  Ten are reported dead.. there are hints and suggestions that the number will rise as time goes on.  One pilot who was forced to land in Tanna described pure devastation, with entire communities simply flattened.

Many officials and also world citizens are relying heavily on social media to see just how bad things are—the world has been reading Tweets and other citizen reporting from the ground where the storm struck.. One Tweet described a 21-year-old sheltering a 1 week old baby even as the roof was ripped off by Cyclone PAM..

And that is how natural disasters work. They come quick, they leave fast. They leave misery in the wake.. And deaths. Injuries, but also little quips and anecdotes of miracles that seem to keep humanity hopeful just enough to clean up until the next disaster..

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