Posted April 11, 2020 13:33:29

Photo: Many homes and buildings have been severely damaged or destroyed, including the Lycee Luganville school. (Supplied: Maxar Technologies)

Satellite images have revealed the scale of destruction in Vanuatu after category-five Cyclone Harold struck the island nation this week.

Satellite imagery provided by Maxar Technologies show before and after images of the island of Espiritu Santo and the main city of Luganville.

This once lush island was largely stripped of vegetation by the storm and many homes and buildings have been severely damaged or destroyed.

Anglican Bishop James Tama said 5,000 people were made homeless on Espiritu Santo by the impact of Cyclone Harold.

Photo: Before and after images show the destruction to infrastructure and vegetation surrounding the Espirtu Santo Island airport. (Supplied: Maxar Technologies)

Bishop Tama has used his Good Friday message to appeal for help for people who've been left without water, food, power or communications.

The cyclone damaged up to 90 per cent of homes in Luanville, Vanuatu's second-largest city.

Photo: Luanville, Vanuatu's second-largest city, before Cyclone Harold. (Supplied: Maxar Technologies)

Photo: View of Luanville after Cyclone Harold hit Vanuatu. (Supplied: Maxar Technologies)

Aid efforts

The week-long storm has destroyed homes, cut off power and killed dozens in four Pacific island countries; Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and Tonga.

Local disaster teams in Vanuatu are trying to reach some of the worst-affected areas.

Photo: This once lush island was largely stripped of vegetation by the storm. (Supplied: Maxar Technologies)

Australia's RAAF is sending an aircraft to Vanuatu within days with relief supplies and to assess damage.

In the aftermath, there are fears that mass evacuations and displacement could disrupt containment efforts against the spread of the coronavirus, officials in the region said.

The whole Pacific Island region has relatively few cases of COVID-19, but much of the region has restricted personal movement to slow any spread of the coronavirus.

Photo: Local disaster teams in Vanuatu are trying to reach some of the worst-affected areas. (Supplied: Maxar Technologies)

In Fiji, were 15 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed, 26 people were injured and more than 6,000 people were evacuated from their homes during the storm.

"Cyclone Harold may be gone, but coronavirus is still in our midst," Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said in a message posted on his Facebook page.

"We must all remain vigilant and keep to every public health directive we have in place."

Photo: There are fears that mass evacuations and displacement could disrupt containment efforts against the spread of the coronavirus. (Supplied: Maxar Technologies)

Topics: cyclone, storm-disaster, cyclones, vanuatu, asia, pacific