A boy named Samuel kicks a ball as his father Phillip searches through the ruins of their home which was destroyed by Cyclone Pam in Port Vila, Vanuatu March 16, 2015.© POOL New / Reuters/Reuters
The Department of Foreign Affairs says it's believed 29 Canadian citizens are in areas of the South Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu that have been affected by cyclone Pam.
The United Nations says that 24 people are confirmed dead and 3,300 have been displaced by the cyclone.
The UN says radio and telephone communications with outer islands have not yet been established two days after what the country's president called a "monster" storm.
Tom Perry, a spokesman for CARE International on the ground in the capital Port Vila, said authorities are still trying to count how many people were killed or injured in the aftermath of the cyclone.
"News is starting to come in from the other parts of the country now and it's not good news obviously," Mr. Perry said in a phone interview Monday evening.
Mr. Perry said two people from his organization were on one of the hardest-hit islands of Tanna, where five people had been reported killed and 11 injured.
"There's a sense that that number unfortunately may rise," Mr. Perry said.
CARE's office in Port Vila was destroyed by the storm, but Mr. Perry said he is working on the floors of hotel rooms to help co-ordinate the arrival of more CARE staff to help the government set up distributions systems for aid "as quickly as we can."
Foreign Affairs says its office in Canberra, Australia and the Australian High Commission in Port Vila are providing assistance to Canadian citizens in Vanuatu affected by the storm.
Those offices and the Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa have been attempting to reach Canadians known to be in the region, and Foreign Affairs says consular officials in Canberra will continue those efforts.
The UN says basic emergency rations are being provided to evacuees, sheltering in 37 evacuation centres on the main island of Efate and in the provinces of Torba and Penama.
The damaged airport in Port Vila has reopened, allowing some aid and relief flights to reach the country.
Friends and relatives concerned about Canadian citizens they believe to be in the affected area should contact Foreign Affairs.
With a report from Mike Hager in Vancouver