Vanuatu provides lessons in cyclone survival

A teacher walks past library books laid out to dry in the sun after the roof of the school library (R) was blown away by Cyclone Pam at the Central School in Port Vila, the capital city of the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu March 18, 2015. REUTERS/Edgar Su

PORT VILA (Reuters) - Villagers in Vanuatu buried food and fresh water as one of the strongest storms on record bore down on them, fleeing to churches, schools and even coconut drying kilns as 300 kph winds and massive seas tore their flimsy houses to the ground.

Despite reports of utter devastation six days after Cyclone Pam pummelled the impoverished South Pacific island nation, Vanuatu appears to be providing something of a lesson in how to survive a category 5 storm.