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It is believed that hundreds and possibly thousands of people have been killed when Tropical Cyclone Pam unexpectedly changed course and passed directly over the island nation of Vanuatu, bringing with it sustained winds of 175 mph and gusts well over 200 mph. "A disaster of this magnitude has not been experienced by Vanuatu in recent history — particularly in terms of the reach of the potential damage and the ferocity of the storm," said Sune Gudnitz, who heads the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Pacific. So far, 44 people are confirmed dead, but most areas of the low-lying country still cannot be reached.

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The weird weather continues worldwide: Cyclone Cleopatra devastated the Italian island of Sardinia on Monday leaving at least 16 people dead and more still missing. Flash floods – in some areas up to 3 metres (10ft) high – swept away cars and bridges and surged into people’s homes without warning.

The worst-hit area was Olbia in the north-east, where regional governor Ugo Cappellacci told SkyTG24 television that several bridges were down, and that there was a similar situation near the central town of Nuoro.

"The situation is tragic," he said. "The hotels in Olbia are full of people who have had to escape, but there are thousands who have damage to their homes."
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First it was drought, then it was massive floods–now Australia faces a hurricane that is estimated to be twice the size of hurricane Katrina and at least as powerful. The Australian Meteorology Bureau issued the following warning: ‘This impact is likely to be more life threatening than any experienced during recent generations." The largest typhoon so far recorded was supertyphoon Tip, which struck Guam in 1979 with 200 mph winds. Yasi has so far displayed winds of 180 miles per hour and is expected to strengthen over the next 24 hours.read more