Food and basic supplies are running low in Vanuatu as relief workers try to reach many islands that were battered by Cyclone Pam last Friday and Saturday.

The island nation was pummeled by gusts of wind of over 300 kilometers per hour, wiping out crops and fishing fleets.

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As of Wednesday, international aid agencies said food supply is critical especially in the southern island of Tanna and the nation stands the risk of experiencing hunger and disease.

The death toll currently stands at 11 but this figure is still expected to rise as rescue teams try to reach the outer islands of Vanuatu.

Among the dead is reportedly an 80-year-old Swedish man.

"We are extremely concerned for the safety and well-being of many communities affected by the cyclone, particularly the more remote regions of the country that are only accessible by boat," said Aurelia Balpe, the regional head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies(IFRC).

She is joining in the calls for an international effort to help the disaster victims, adding that Cyclone Pam has brought  massive devastation to the small nation.

Sune Gudnitz, the Pacific head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said there is a need for all the food supplies to be brought to the places where they are badly needed.

"The challenge of getting things out, whether its people or goods, remains. We want to avoid a bottleneck in the capital of Port Vila, so we need to work out a plan," she said.

Already on the ground are workers from aid agencies like the U.N. World Food Programme. They said that banana, coconut and other crops have been destroyed.

Port Vila, which is a destination for cruise liners, has been closed indefinitely. Forty percent of Vanuatu's economy comes from tourism.

TagsCyclone Pam, vanuatu