Homes 'blown to pieces' in Vanuatu

Homes were blown to pieces, evacuation centres flooded and numerous people injured as Cyclone Pam devastated parts of Vanuatu.

As humanitarian agency workers make their way to the outskirts of the capital Port Vila, it's clear that the cyclone has hit Vanuatu with devastating force.

"Homes have been blown to pieces, and even evacuation shelters, where people had sought refuge, have been flooded and left exposed to Cyclone Pam," Care International program manager Charlie Damon said from Port Vila on Saturday.

"If this is the level of impact in communities where emergency shelters were an option, we are deeply concerned about what has happened in remote communities without them."

He said much of Vanuatu remained cut off, and Tafea Province, where Care has been working for many years, had borne the brunt of the cyclone early on Saturday morning.

"We're beginning to plan our response based on the likelihood of massive destruction of many communities in Cyclone Pam's path," he said.

Mr Damon has led Care's preparedness for the last week and their response in the last couple of days.