File:Pam 2015-03-13 0220Z (gallery).jpg

English: Cyclone Pam was heading in a southwesterly direction when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this image at 1:30 p.m. local time (2:30 Universal Time) on March 13, 2015. Not long after the image was acquired, the storm crossed over the island of Efate, which is home to Vanuatu’s capital city, Port Vila. The eastern side of Efate likely took the strongest hit from the cyclone’s eyewall, but Port Vila, on the southwestern side of the island, faced extremely destructive conditions. As the storm approached the city, it had sustained winds up to 265 kilometers (165 miles) per hour, making it the equivalent of a category 5 cyclone. Dozens of people are feared dead and forecasters expect flooding and catastrophic damage in the city.