Port Vila, Vanuatu (CNN)Tropical Cyclone Pam had already been battering Vanuatu's capital for hours when the River Prima suddenly flooded its banks.
A wall of water and mud surged through Sam Upan's house, toppling the walls of the neighboring church where he serves as a deacon.
It was midnight on Friday, and he had no choice but to wade out into the gale force wind and darkness.
"The water was up to my waist!" he says.
Upan eventually made it to higher ground, taking shelter on a parked van. Fortunately, he had sent his family away before the storm to a shelter in the center of the capital, Port Vila.