A cyclone-ravaged island in Vanuatu that felt forgotten by the world has been given aid and paid a visit by the country's prime minister - all thanks to the New Zealand Defence Force.
The Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130 Hercules landed in the capital on Wednesday loaded with tools, generators and supplies for shelters to help in the aftermath of Cyclone Pam.
It then continued on to Tanna Island - about 230km from Port Villa - with Vanuatuan Prime Minister Joe Natuman on board to allow him to assess the damage first hand.
Lana Silona (left) prepares food with her son Costello in front of their ruined home on the island of Tanna, Vanuatu. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
"Early aerial surveillance shows a large number of buildings have been completely or partly destroyed by Cyclone Pam," New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully said.
"Getting relief supplies to the outer islands is an urgent task."
Local police officer John Maeke said that no one had seen a storm as bad as the category five cyclone.
"This is the worst storm of our generation, no one remembers anything worse."
Many Tanna locals said they feel forgotten by the world, with food stocks depleting, no electricity, and a number of buildings destroyed.
The Hercules heads back to New Zealand on Wednesday night, making it the air force's fourth return trip to Vanuatu since the storm hit on Friday night.
On Tuesday, two RNZAF flights were forced to turn back to New Zealand without landing after unrelated instrumentation problems, but Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee said he didn't know why they'd been forced to turn back.
"I think it would be a bigger worry if they continued on and had an accident," he told reporters on Wednesday.
Kiwis have donated about $280,000 to the Red Cross' appeal, but the aid organisation is hoping to raise $5.3 million to help those affected by the cyclone.
The cyclone hit Vanuatu on Friday night and has claimed 24 lives, 11 from Tafea, eight from Efate and five from Tanna, according to the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Over 130,000 people have been affected.
Up to 90 per cent of homes in the capital are damaged, with aid agencies warning that conditions are among the most challenging they have faced.
The New Zealand government has pledged a $2.5 million aid package to help with the initial clean-up, with Prime Minister John Key saying the package will likely grow once the full scale of the natural disaster becomes clear.
CYCLONE PAM
* Category five cyclone, hit Vanuatu on Friday
* An estimated 130,000 people affected, including 54,000 children
* 24 confirmed dead
* Estimates that 90 per cent of the homes in the capital have been damaged or destroyed
Sources: Red Cross, United Nations, Unicef.
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