Tropical cyclone Ivy, currently moving south over the central Vanuatu islands of Paama and Lopevi, has destroyed crops and flattened homes in the northern islands.
Ivy is still four hours away from the capital, Port Vila, on Efate but winds there are already being described as "extreme".
Trees have been uprooted, power is cut to many places in the capital and Radio Vanuatu is off the air.
The meteorological office's director, Napat Jotham, says, before communications were cut with the northern islands, they heard that Ivy's 200-kilometres-per-hour gusts had left a path of destruction.
"We haven't heard of any injuries but the winds did huge damage to some of the infrastructure, things like buildings, bush houses, and the root crops, the trees have fallen off and much of the people there have found shelter in some strong buildings... cement houses."
The meteorological office's director, Napat Jotham.
