A week after Vanuatu cyclone, some homeless still await help

The group were among more than 800 people who took shelter from Cyclone Pam in Freswota School, in the capital Port Vila. But 393 people found their homes totally destroyed and are now living in the school's classrooms.

"After the cyclone, about a week now, we haven't received any urgent relief from the government or any NGOs or any other departments," said Charlie Nirua, who lost his family home in the storm.

"They only give us biscuits and water and all this, just a small quantity of food for people to survive with."

Aid agencies say the relief effort is gearing up and they've started moving food, water, shelter and medicines to the worst affected areas, but there has been little evidence of that in the capital, according to Nirua.

"Nothing at all. We saw planes coming, landing but we haven't heard anything about releasing all the food and all the supplies for the people," he said. "We're still waiting for the government to respond for that."

The school is run by husband and wife team Regina and Manses Kalo, who say it was a nominated evacuation centre and that Save the Children were first on the scene after the cyclone churned across the island.

"People came in on the evening of the cyclone with their own food, water and whatever they need for the night of the cyclone," Regina said.

"But then Saturday morning the Save the Children fund started to come in supplying food, water, even clothes for little ones and mothers, and they provide other things like dishes and pots for people to use."

The government of Vanuatu is co-ordinating relief efforts, attempting to get immediate aid to more than 60 inhabited remote islands along the 1,300 km (800 mile) long archipelago east of Australia.

Aid workers say they are now trying to get emergency aid to isolated islands where airstrips, ports and communications have been extensively damaged.

France, Australia and New Zealand are sending ships and helicopters to help in the relief effort.