british mother pauline alpin has not heard from her daughter emma venier (pictured) since she prepared to face cyclone pam in vanuatu  an anxious british mother has not heard from her 18 year old daughter for five days after cyclone pam struck the oceania island of vanuatu pauline alpin, 54, said she last received a text message from her daughter emma venier   a former head girl at norwich high school   as she prepared to face cyclone pam before it ripped across the tiny island the storm has killed at least 24 people and left more than 3,300 homeless in the south pacific island ms alpin, from norwich, said: 'i have to assume that emma is ok because i don't want to think anything else 'she let me know that they were boarding up windows and were on red alert 'as the days go on i'm just getting worse and worse i should be at work but i can't go because i just can't concentrate' miss vernier flew out to vanuatu, about 1,250 miles from brisbane, australia, last month to take part in a volunteering project in ambae, one of the little nation's outer islets she was due to remain in vanuatu until july the area was ravaged over the weekend by the cyclone as raging 185mph winds destroyed homes, boats, roads and bridges and wrecked power and phone lines the remote outer islands are not thought to have been as badly hit as the central areas and vanuatu's capital port vila but radio and phone lines were still down last night vanuatu has a population of 267,000 people spread over more than 80 islands about 47,000 people live in the capital miss vernier flew out to vanuatu, about 1,250 miles from brisbane, australia, last month to take part in a volunteering project in ambae, one of the little nation's outer islets  cyclone pam has destroyed or damaged 90 per cent of the buildings in vanuatu's capital of port vila  this photo taken today shows the widespread devastation caused by the cyclone which struck on saturday  a boy called samuel kicks a ball as his father searches through the ruins of their port vila home  vanuatu was in the path of the category five storm when it unexpectedly changed direction  a family who lost their home in the cyclone carry their belongings on the outskirts of port vila  the tiny village of yaohnanen on the southern vanuatu island of tanna   where prince philip is a divine being   has been 'totally devastated' by the cyclone villagers have revered the duke of edinburgh after catching a glimpse of him standing on a ship during a royal visit to vanuatu   known then as the new hebrides   in the 1970s in his fine white naval uniform prince philip looked like a deity and so he was 'adopted' as the tribe's personal god the village, of about 200 people, consisted of little more than wooden huts with thatched roofs   and it was in one of these flimsy dwellings that historic signed photographs, personally sent to the tribe in the 1970s, were being held rina george, who has relatives living on the hillside where the village is located, said: 'from what we have heard, everything has been smashed down very little has been left' ms alpin, a sonographer, said that she was keeping in contact with the parents of other volunteers that her daughter travelled with 'we are all as worried as each other they are so young   one of the other girls is 17 and emma is only 18', she said 'they might not even have any idea how bad things are as the lines are all down 'it has been so sad   people have lost their homes and places are devastated, they need so much help' vanuatu's president baldwin lonsdale said the storm had 'wiped out' all recent development and his country   one of the world's poorest   and it would have to rebuild 'everything' he estimated the 'monster' had destroyed or damaged 90 per cent of the buildings in the capital of port vila a foreign office spokesman said: 'we are in close contact with the local authorities in vanuatu 'we have not yet been asked but we stand ready to provide consular assistance to any british people who need our help 'any british person who has been affected by the cyclone can get in touch with us on 020 7008 1500' a massive international relief effort, involving the red cross and unicef, has been launched as vanuatu struggles to get back on its feet to donate, visit wwwuniceforguk/landing pages/donate vanuatu cylone pam/ 
pauline aplin emma cyclone pam emma venier norwich high school vanuatu storm
pauline aplin, 54, last got a text from daughter emma prior to cyclone pam . 18 year old emma venier was a former head girl at norwich high school . she flew out to vanuatu last month to take part in a volunteering project . storm has killed at least 24 people and left more than 3,300 homeless 