State of emergency declared as two cyclones hit Vanuatu in 24 hrs

Aljazeera reported that a state of emergency has been declared in Vanuatu as Category 4 Cyclone Kevin brought gale-force winds and torrential rain to the Pacific nation battling its second large cyclone in a week and was also rattled by two earthquakes.

Spread across 13 principal islands in the southwestern Pacific, Vanuatu has already been battered by Cyclone Judy,  which hit the capital Port Vila on Wednesday, cutting power and forcing some residents to evacuate.

As the country cleared roads and restored power lines cut by Cyclone Judy, residents were jolted early on Friday by twin earthquakes and told to hunker down as Cyclone Kevin approached.

Hundreds of thousands of people in Vanuatu are estimated to be affected by the two massive Category 4 cyclones, which slammed across the island nation within 24 hours, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said in a statement on Saturday.