Islands fear food crisis

24 dead, thousands lose homes in Cyclone Pam; Vanuatu president appeals to the world for help

Vanuatu warned on Tuesday it faces imminent food shortages as accounts emerged of huge damage to a large outer island, days after one of the fiercest cyclones on record struck the Pacific nation.

Relief agencies have warned that conditions are among the most challenging they have faced, with growing concerns about disease. President Baldwin Lonsdale has appealed for the world to help after Severe Tropical Cyclone Pam lashed the island with wind gusts of up to 320 kph.