Cyclone Pam leaves 24 people dead in Vanuatu, president holds Climate Change accountable

Cyclone Pam tore through Vanuatu this previous weekend, and at least 24 people are dead, with fears there may be more. The damaging storm destroyed infrastructures, flattened buildings, whirled house items around the town and left more than 3,000 people in Vanuatu displaced and disheartened.

According to a statement form the National Disaster Management Office, 3,300 people were sheltering at 37 evacuation centres. Fears that those numbers could rise have been expressed. The first rescue teams reached the remote, now desolate islands and warned significant damage.

The President of Vanuatu, Baldwin Lonsdale, stated that climate change was a contributing factor to these extreme weather conditions, and to Cyclone Pam.

According to the Guardian, he said, "It's a setback for the government and for the people of Vanuatu," he states "After all the development that has taken place, all this development has been wiped out."

Lonsdale apparently said the cyclone seasons that previously hit the nation were directly linked to climate change. He said, "we see the level of sea rise...The cyclone seasons, the warm, the rain, all thesis affected,"

"This year we have more than in any year... Yes, climate change is contributing to this."

"I am very emotional … Everyone has that same feeling. We don't know what happened to our families … We cannot reach our families; we do not know if our families are safe. As the leader of the nation, my heart hurts for the people of the whole nation."

In a Unicef Humanitarian situation report, they state that at least 60,000 children could be at risk around the country. Cyclone Pam has now moved across Tafea Province and entered the maritime area of New Caledonia, heading towards New Zealand. Communication connectivity is very limited, making it hard to get correct information. Action has been taken to relocate the homeless, and provide assistance for people living in evacuation centres.

Several countries have pledged aid and funding for the island nation. Julie Bishop, our foreign affairs minister, pledged $5 million in support, and New Zealand offered $2.5 million.

Climate change is an immediate threat, not a distance future, it is happening now. Island paradises are under attack by the destabilising forces of climate change, the extreme rising sea levels and forceful storms are destroying the most beautiful locations on earth, and if we don't do anything, then they will be gone forever. These are not just beautiful landscapes, these are peoples homes, and these people are being dispossessed.

To help give emergency relief to those affected by Cyclone Pam Oxfam has set up a donate appeal. Click here to donate.