Vanuatu Islanders Forced to Drink Salt Water Following Cyclone

After a devastating cyclone hit the small island nation of Vanuatu last weekend, residents have been forced to drink salt water as they face an extreme shortage of drinking water, latest reports suggest.

Officials say that there is also a desperate need for food and shelter, since Cyclone Pam and the resulting massive floods have left thousands of people homeless.

However, the devastated environment and heavy flooding have also made it hard for outside aid agencies to access the island.

Health officials say drinking salt water is dangerous because it can lead to dehydration and death, since water in the body is re-routed to help dilute the excess of salt, rather than used to hydrate the body.

There were initially 24 people reported killed by the cyclone on the small South Pacific island nation that lies east of Australia. However the United Nations has since lowered that figure to 11 deaths.

Though the island was devastated, experts associate the low death toll and number of casualties to the advanced warnings that were issued.   

Telecommunications and power on the island have also been badly affected, but the full extent of the damage has not yet been assessed. The surrounding islands of Tanna, Efate and Erromango were also badly hit by the storm.

Vanuatu's population of 267,000 is spread over 65 low-lying islands. It is among the world's poorest countries and highly prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis and storms.

The island has been ranked the world's most disaster-prone country for the last four years in a row, according to the World Risk Report published by the U.N. University's Institute for Environment and Human Security.