A GWENT woman whose cousin and her young family are stranded on the cyclone-hit island of Vanuatu in the Pacific Ocean has today spoken of her relief after receiving news that they are safe.

Australian-born Natalie Terrell, 36, who now lives in Gelli Unig Terrace in Pontywaun, was informed on Friday that her cousin, Margaret Richards, was safe and well and that her house was still standing after Cyclone Pam struck on March 14.

The cyclone has destroyed or damaged 90 per cent of the buildings in the capital of Port Vila, the country's president Baldwin Lonsdale said. The United Nations raised the confirmed death toll from 11 to 16 on Sunday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates 166,000 people have been affected by the cyclone on 22 islands, with thousands in evacuation centres and tens of thousands in need of temporary shelter.

Mrs Richards and her husband, Tom, have been working as missionaries for the last two years out on the north-west coast of Tanna Island, which is part of the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. Originally from Perth, they have four children aged between two and six.

With the roads blocked off, a short handwritten letter was carried on foot by a villager to the nearest town, Lenakel, some 20km away in the hope that it would reach their relatives. It was then taken by military plane to the capital, Port Vila, to be passed on to the consulate at the Australian High Commission in Port Vila, with the phone numbers of their relatives attached.

Ms Terrell said: “It was a huge relief to know they are all safe. Just to know that they are alive means so much.

“The whole island has been flattened and the roof of their home has been very badly damaged, with a lot of their food supplies lost.

“But, it could’ve been so much worse and it doesn’t matter what you lose as long as you have your health.”

Mr Richards helps run a bible college on the island, while the Richards’ four children, Sam, six; Lucy, five; Tim, three; and Annie, two, are homeschooled by Mrs Richards.

Ms Terrell said that Mr Richards owns one of the only cars on the island, providing a key service for locals in accessing Lenakel.

Ms Terrell added: “They’ve been sheltering much of the village in their home.

“Tom is very hands-on and effectively runs a local bus service out there, even though the roads are pretty terrible.

“They’re not planning on coming back and they are needed now more than ever. They’re doing a wonderful job.

“I’m so proud of them. They’re so dedicated and could’ve had an easier life, but they don’t put themselves first.”