by Andrew D Moore | 8 Apr 2015 | Uncategorised
You’ve heard that Cyclone Pam has had a devastating effect on Vanuatu but let me try to put the intensity of this storm into perspective. Firstly, this cyclone was a category 5. Cyclone Tracy which destroyed Darwin in 1974 was a category 3 cyclone. The sustained wind speeds of cyclone Pam were over 250 kilometers per hour (kph) with gusts over 320 kph. Winds at this speed wouldn’t just blow you off your feet – they are strong enough to lift you vertically at over 120 kph! It’s amazing that anyone survived this. Imagine that you are sheltering from this storm in your own house, as your it is struck with sand, rocks, dust, branches and debris flying at those speeds, in pitch black, in the middle of the night. The locals said the worst thing was the sound. Not only was it as deafening as a jet engine but the pressure changes and “warbles” were unbearable yet went on for hours and hours. Ok, now imagine that you aren’t sheltering in your house but in a thatch hut in the jungle. Oh, and when the storm surge comes rushing in you have to hold your precious children over your head so they didn’t drown. After it had passed and the morning light broke you would see that not only has your house and all your possessions literally been blown away but the rest of the village has to. Children have no schools to go to. Fruit trees and the crops are gone. Your beautiful “Avatar” forest no longer has leaves. Many of the massive trees are uprooted and coconut palms snapped off half way...
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