The monster that destroyed Vanuatu

Vanuatu's president says the cyclone that hammered the tiny South Pacific archipelago was a "monster" that has destroyed or damaged 90 per cent of the buildings in the capital Port Vila and has forced the nation to start anew.

Lonsdale was speaking from Sendai in north-eastern Japan, where he had been attending a disaster conference when the cyclone struck.

Looking weary and red-eyed, Baldwin Lonsdale said that the latest information he has is that six people are confirmed dead and 30 injured from Cyclone Pam.

He appealed for international aid for the place he calls "paradise."

"This is a very devastating cyclone in Vanuatu. I term it as a monster, a monster," he said. "It's a setback for the government and for the people of Vanuatu. After all the development that has taken place, all this development has been wiped out."

The president said because of the break in communications, even he could not reach his family.

"We do not know if our families are safe or not. As the leader of the nation, my whole heart is for the people, the nation."

Lonsdale and other top Vanuatu government officials were preparing to return home later on Monday from Sendai.

Officials in Vanuatu had still not made contact with outlying islands and were struggling to determine the scale of devastation from the cyclone, which tore through early on Saturday, packing winds of 270 kilometres per hour.

The airport in Port Vila has reopened, allowing some aid and relief flights to reach the country. Lonsdale said a wide range of items were needed, from tarpaulins and water containers to medical supplies and construction tools.

Hannington Alatoa, head of the Vanuatu Red Cross Society, said flyovers by New Zealand and Australian relief teams showed much of the country had been "flattened." At least half of the population, or about 130,000 people, has been affected, Alatoa said in Sendai.

"No trees, no foliage, no iron structures standing on the western part of Tanna (island)," Alatoa said. "People are in great need of water."

Lonsdale said climate change was contributing to disasters in Vanuatu.

"We see the level of sea rise. Change in weather patterns. This year we have heavy rain, more than every year," he said.

New Zealand radio journalist Frances Cook and her husband travelled to Vanuatu for their honeymoon two days before the cyclone struck. She said they knew a storm was coming but figured from the forecasts it wouldn't be too bad.

Instead of zip-lining through the jungle and looking at active volcanoes as planned, she has instead been reporting back home on the devastation. She said a lot of stranded tourists are desperate to leave and some are afraid for their security.

"It's a glorious place and the people are so lovely," she said. "It's quite upsetting to see this happen."