UN ramps up support to countries hit by Cyclone Pam

A flight carrying relief supplies to Vanuatu in the wake of Cyclone Pam left Thursday the UN Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD) in Dubai, deputy UN spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters here.

"The aircraft, made available by the government of the United Arab Emirates, is loaded with supplies from several non- governmental organizations and UN agencies, such as the World Food Program (WFP)," Haq said at a daily news briefing here.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs ( OCHA) reported that priority needs are for water and sanitation support, particularly clean drinking water, as well as food, shelter and health care.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is airlifting emergency supplies, including basic health kits, 1,000 packs of water purification tablets and vitamin A capsules, to people affected by Cyclone Pam in nearby Tuvalu, he said.

"UNICEF reports that more than 40 percent of households in the northern islands of Tuvalu were seriously affected by flooding, and that these supplies will help to meet their immediate health needs," said the spokesman.

UNICEF is maintaining its focus on Vanuatu, the hardest-hit country, while providing support to other countries in the region - - Fiji, Kiribati, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.

According to the World Meteorological Organization, Cyclone Pam, which also impacted the Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Tuvalu, had been one of the most powerful cyclones to make landfall, with winds estimated to have reached 250 km/hr with gusts of 320 km/hr over the weekend. Endite