19 Mar 2015

Forced to dig for spoilt food

10:23 am on 19 March 2015

Villagers just outside of Port Vila in Vanuatu say they're having to dig up crops from under floodwater so they have food to eat.

Cyclone damage at Seaside, near the Vanuatu capital of Port Vila.

Cyclone damage at Seaside, near the Vanuatu capital of Port Vila. Photo: AFP / Chris McCowage / Australian Red Cross

Cyclone Pam wiped out most of the country's crops and aid agencies are preparing for major food shortages.

The chief of Mele Village, Kalokai Masai says at the moment they are focusing on rebuilding the local school, which has been stripped to its foundation.

But he says food is starting to becoming an issue.

"We have two rivers and the village was in the middle and when we're talking about the flooding, it [destroyed] our gardens and we could not see any crops from the grounds, so we dig where we know there's something there."

Kalokai Masai says he has faith that aid organisations will help them.

Aid teams got to one of the main islands, Tanna, for the first time yesterday and more supplies are expected to be released today with water the main priority.