The death toll from Cyclone Pam has risen to 13 as concerns mount about supplies of fresh water across Vanuatu.
The United Nations on Friday raised the number of deaths from 11 and said priority needs across the sprawling archipelago, where crops have been destroyed and houses razed, were for potable water, food, shelter and health.
However, confusion remains over how many have died as a direct result of the storm.
Early reports from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs last week announced an unconfirmed 44 dead, which then dropped to 24, and was revised down again to 11.
Late on Wednesday, the Vanuatu government said only seven people were confirmed dead and four others included in the UN toll were patients already in hospitals whose deaths were not directly related to the disaster.
A week after the category five tempest slammed ashore, relief agencies on Friday were due to finalise a detailed assessment report on the situation on the ground.
UN officials said the aim was "to reach a common understanding of the required scale of the response to Cyclone Pam and to target the response in a co-ordinated manner".
On Wednesday, the Vanuatu government hit out at aid groups swarming the nation over what it perceived to be a lack of co-ordination costing precious time getting help to those in need.
Aid groups have been battling logistical challenges in assessing the damage, with a lack of landing strips and deep water ports hampering their efforts.
The UN said assessments had been completed for 15 islands in the 80-island chain, which found widespread devastation, with the government warning food will run out in the largely subsistence economy within days.
Access to drinkable water is a major worry, with ground water contaminated and a lack of power hindering piped supplies.
Save the Children said communities on some isolated islands faced a perilous situation, with at least 2000 children at risk of potentially deadly illnesses such as diarrhoea from drinking bad water.
"We are hearing reports children are contracting water-borne diseases such as diarrhoea and the longer these children have to drink contaminated water, the more likely it is they will become sick," said country director Tom Skirrow.
"Some communities are reporting only having about a week's supply of drinking water left, which could put lives at risk."
Aid continues to flood in with a British military aircraft joining the effort along with a French frigate and helicopters, working alongside Australia and New Zealand.
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