Powerful Cyclone Pam hit south Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu

Powerful cyclone Pam on 14 March 2015 hit the south Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu. The cyclone Pam, a category five tropical storm, brought destructive 270 kilometre-per-hour winds and torrential rain along with it.

The cyclone was followed by flooding, landslides, sea surges and very rough seas which caused massive destruction in the small Pacific nation.

Cyclone Pam prior to slamming Vanuatu had destroyed some homes and had caused damage to other Pacific islands including Kiribati and the Solomon Islands.

Vanuatu is located north east of Australia to south west of Hawaii Islands. It has population of 267000 spread over 65 islands and about 47000 people live in its capital Port Vila.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Pam is regarded as the worst natural disaster in the history of Vanuatu. Pam is also the third most intense storm in the Southern Hemisphere by the same metric, only after Zoe of 2002 and Gafilo in 2004.