Thousands of Tongans are expected to be homeless after the worst ever cyclone struck the tiny nation overnight.
Cyclone Gita was carrying winds of up to 195km/h when the centre of the storm raged past the main Tongan island Tongatapu overnight.
The eye of the storm narrowly missed the island, but it was hit by intense wind and rainfall.
Here's a few things you need to know about the storm so far,
• Cyclone Gita has been described as the strongest to hit Tonga in its history
• Some estimates say 75 per cent of homes in capital Nukuʻalofa destroyed
• The Government purposely cut power before the storm arrived
• Fresh water supplies are limited
• There are unconfirmed reports of two deaths as at 7.45am today
• At least one church has been destroyed so far
• Roofs have been ripped off homes, trees have been flattened
• NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the New Zealand Defence Force is on standby, waiting for a call from the Tongan government for help
• The government has pledged an initial $50,000 to assist rescue and relief operations
• Gita is now moving towards Fiji where it should hit later today
• It's still a possibility that it will hit New Zealand
#TCGita damages so far from Tonga including this Tongan church near my home @TongaUpdates pic.twitter.com/O1emgHR3p3
— Solomone Savelio (@SolomoneSavelio) February 12, 2018
#TCGita damages in Tonga @TongaUpdates pic.twitter.com/i6bo7gHHEo
— Solomone Savelio (@SolomoneSavelio) February 12, 2018
#tcgita updates from people in Tonga. Lot of trees falling over on powerline, roads, houses. Expect power to be out for days in some areas. Some places our flooded. Some (mostly old houses or huts) have roof blown off. 2 deaths so far. Unknown injuries. Hospital request 4 bloods pic.twitter.com/PMAy8zSGkE
— Solomone Savelio (@SolomoneSavelio) February 12, 2018
Family messaging me saying so many homes have already been destroyed 😭 take the houses but please don’t take any lives #TCGita
— Mabel Muller (@maybeitsmaybz) February 12, 2018
#Tonga - video from Nukualofa Hospital. #TCGita #CycloneGita #hmrd https://t.co/aL728UEDCc
— Humanity Road (@HumanityRoad) February 12, 2018
"There lots trees fallen. Roofs been ripped open from shops,houses, floods in parts of Nukualofa.electricity wires are tangling from its https://t.co/JT2lWWOdUG is really an awful sight almost like a nightmare" - Vanessa Heleta @TalithaProjectT #firstresponder update #TCGita
— femLINKpacific (@femlinkpacific) February 12, 2018
But some residents were lucky to escape unscathed.
6.30am daybreak update from the front yard/ street. It’s much much worse than I thought. Not all my neighbours have kept their roof untouched, not to mention the fallen trees. We’re lucky we’re totally safe, and it’s just water in my house#CycloneGita #tonga pic.twitter.com/JjV1JDNJmu
— Virginie (@VDakaSini) February 12, 2018
If you're a Kiwi in Tonga and need consular assistance contact the NZ High Commission on (00676) 23122, (00676) 881 7022 (after hours) or nzhctonga@mfat.govt.nz