It flattened trees and street lights and homes were destroyed.
''I had never seen a cyclone like this. Everything was down.''
She and her husband Harry are seasoned workers on the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme, who have returned to Central Otago from Vanuatu yearly to work for five-month stints since 2008.
The scheme allows employers to hire workers from Pacific Island nations.
The couple have family at home they are concerned for, and as Cyclone Pam lashes their country they have a message for other RSE workers in New Zealand.
It was a time to consider family and be thankful for what they had.
''This is a message to our people that they need ... to think of family in this special time. You never know if something happens to family when we are in New Zealand.''
Mrs Jocy said Vanuatuans working in the country needed to behave well and have savings in case they were needed to support family at home.
She and her husband cannot contact their six daughters at home because the phone network is not working.
The last time they heard from them was on Thursday evening.
''I'm worried about my family's lives. This is important. It's a big deal.''
Mrs Jocy said people in Vanuatu were not prepared for the first major storm she experienced - in the 1960s - but this time, they were ready.
In her last conversation with one of her daughters, she said they were preparing for the storm and they were ready for it.
''They should be safe.''
She expected it would be about a day after the storm abated when phone networks would come back on and she could contact her family.
