Ferry stranded, plantations damaged as cyclone reaches Tonga

12.00pm

Cyclone Ami hit Tonga today, grounding the main interisland ferry on a coral reef near the capital Nuku'alofa.

The government-owned Olovaha was stranded upright about 100m off Popua beach, eyewitnesses said, and another vessel of similar size lay on its side nearby on the same reef.

The ferry is a mainstay of Tonga's transport links, carrying people, cars and freight between Vava'u, Ha'apai, and Tongatapu, the Pacific kingdom's three main population centres.

Ami cut telephone lines in Tonga and broke branches off trees but there were no initial reports of casualties.

It also caused extensive damage to banana and coconut plantations.

Civil Defence authorities in Tonga warned yesterday Ami would pass just south of Tongatapu early today with winds gusting to 230km/h and enormous seas.

The storm has wound a devastating path through the Pacific Islands in the last two days.

Parts and possibly all of the Fijian island of Vanua Levu are today without power and some parts do not have fresh drinking water after it was hit by Ami yesterday, the Fiji Disaster Management Centre says.

Centre team leader Eliki Maloeali said Fiji Telecom workers flew to Vanua Levu, one of the worst-struck islands, at about 6.30am today.

The workers reported the main city of Labasa, with a population of about 20,000, was without power.

Outlying areas had not been contacted yet, but it was possible many other areas of the island of 150,000 people were also without power.

However, an assessment team had not yet arrived on the island.

Eastern islands swamped by big waves in the cyclone were still out of contact.

Islands affected included Vanua Vatu and Nayau.
Seven divers had initially been reported missing off Fiji's main island of Vitu Levu but had since been found, Mr Maloeali said.

Meanwhile, a New Zealand air force plane was flying over the worst-hit areas to establish the extent of the damage so relief could be targeted.

A spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff said the plane left at first light and the flight would take about six hours.

Fiji Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, several government officials and aid experts from New Zealand, Fiji and Australia were on the RNZAF Orion.

Cyclone Ami hit northern Fiji early yesterday, packing winds of up to 200kmh, knocking out communications and causing severe damage. Eastern islands were hit by big waves and also sustained damage, it has been reported. The Fiji government yesterday declared these areas disaster areas.

Meanwhile the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) said the tropical cyclone season had not peaked yet.

Niwa climate scientist Jim Salinger said South Pacific countries east of the dateline could expect more cyclones than normal in the January to May period.

Countries facing a higher cyclone risk, caused by the El Nino weather pattern, were Samoa, Tokelau Islands, Niue, the Cook Islands and parts of French Polynesia.

Cyclones west of the dateline would continue to occur as was normal for this time of year. The peak period is from January to March.

- NZPA

Latest forecasts: nzherald.co.nz/weather

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