Australia is sending additional teams to Vanuatu after learning the true scope of Cyclone Pam's destruction.
Wiped out ... a view of part of Vanuatu's capital Port Vila after Cyclone Pam ripped through the island nation. Source: AFP
IT WAS meant to be an idyllic island holiday before the birth of their first child.
But for expecting Sydney parents Nadia Filmalter and Darren Thompson their "baby-moon" was rocked by chaos when Cyclone Pam bore down on Vanuatu.
Dream holiday ... Nadia Filmalter and Darren Thompson were enjoying their "baby-moon" on the island of Efate when the cyclone hit. Photo: Supplied. Source: Supplied
Ms Filmalter, who is seven months pregnant, and her partner are now among scores of Australians eagerly waiting for a flight home.
Paradise destroyed ... Nadia Filmalter and Darren Thompson were on holiday in Vanuatu when Cyclone Pam hit. Photo: Supplied Source: Supplied
And in the meantime the Aussie couple are doing everything they can to help out, including trying to secure the devastated Port Vila hospital.
"The town is destroyed, it's a very sad sight to see," Ms Filmalter told News Corp Australia.
Gone ... Nadia Filmalter says the town was destroyed. Photo: Supplied Source: Supplied
"The majority of (people) on the island of Efate have lost their homes, there are trees down everywhere blocking the majority of roads, boats washed into houses."
The couple were forced to evacuate from their beachside bungalow, hunkering down in the nearby conference room of the Port Vila Holiday Inn as the eye of the storm passed overhead.
Frightening ... hundreds of people were forced to take shelter in the conference room of the Port Vila Holiday Inn. Photo: Supplied Source: Supplied
"We lost power and communication, thankfully we did have a generator kick in but the conditions did change as the room got rather hot quickly," she said.
Scary ... up-ended container and debris on a street in Port Vila. Photo: Supplied Source: Supplied
"It was frightening as you'd hear the bangs outside and the howling of the winds, the foyer upstairs started flooding so workers and some guys assisted with buckets as it started coming in over the stairs near our bunker."
But it was only when they were able to leave the conference room 10 hours later that they saw the wasteland the island of Efate had become, with homes flattened and the local hospital trashed.
Destruction ... Nadia Filmalter surveys the damage. Photo: Supplied Source: Supplied
Bur Mr Thompson, who works as a carpenter in Australia, quickly put his skills to use, assisting locals as they try to come to grips with the disaster.
The couple also went to work restoring what they could of the local hospital, where more than 40 children have been staying.
Wreckage ... the Port Vila hospital was smashed by the cyclone. Photo: Supplied Source: Supplied
"We assisted with cleaning out wards, sterilising rooms and equipment, packing and relocating the pharmacy and equipment to the main ward, as well as cleaning out the surrounding areas," she said.
And through it all, Ms Filmalter said she has been amazed by how upbeat the locals have been, continuing to come to work at the hotel despite losing their own homes.
Doing their bit ... holidaymakers are working to help secure the hospital. Photo: Supplied Source: Supplied
The mum-to-be is now urging all Australians to donate to the rebuilding effort, via the Red Cross, UNICEF or IHG shelter support, so the locals who have been so helpful to her, are themselves looked after.
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