Hell on earth … that’s how some have described being caught in Cyclone Pam – one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the small Pacific nation of Vanuatu.
For Point Cook resident Glen Wilson and his wife, Nicole, it started out as a relaxing getaway to celebrate their wedding anniversary.
In the days to follow, it would become a fight for survival.
The couple arrived at a resort in Vanuatu capital Port Vila on March 9.
“On the Monday [March 9], we were told there was bad weather ahead but it was nothing to really worry about,” Mr Wilson said.
“By Wednesday morning, we were called to breakfast and told we needed to leave because there was a 50-foot [15 metres] tidal surge coming our way.
“We moved to the Holiday Inn on the other side of a lagoon and were put up in hotel rooms, which were described as the strongest structure in Vila.”
Over the next few days, the couple and other guests were briefed every three hours on the impending cyclone, which was strengthening to a category 5 – the strongest and most severe rating.
In the lead-up to the storm, they banded together to reinforce a ballroom basement, where 250 people were sheltering, placing wooden bannisters and mattresses against windows.
“During the briefings, we were told that this was Cyclone Tracy on steroids,” Mr Wilson said.
“The communications were very good, but we knew we were in trouble when they said to keep our passports on us just in case bodies needed to be identified after the storm.”
When the cyclone finally hit on the evening of March 13, it delivered an almighty punch.
“It was horrific – that’s the only word I can use to describe it,” Mr Wilson said. “We sheltered in the basement for 10 hours and the noise was horrendous. It sounded like a high-pitched jet engine.
“At one stage, a feature light fell from the ceiling and started a fire, and the roof of a small kitchen and dining room collapsed, which caused a wind tunnel and burst open the ballroom doors. At least four times, I thought to myself ‘this is it’,” Mr Wilson said.
The next day, they awoke to a scene of utter devastation.
“Buildings, including the hospital, were extensively damaged, huge palm trees had been ripped out of the ground,” he said.
“We know of four bodies that were washed up, including the young son of one of the resort’s staff members.”
After their first commercial flight home was cancelled, the couple finally returned to Australia on March 17.
“We had two days of holiday and five days of survival,” Mr Wilson said. “It’s given us more clarity and a completely different perspective on the world – we saw people who had lost everything. To be honest, we’re the lucky ones.”
