| Situation Update No. 1 Ref.no.: TC-20100215-24935-TON
Situation Update No. 1
On 2010-02-15 at 04:15:54 [UTC]
Event: Tropical Storm
Location: Tonga Statewide Situation: Cyclone Rene slammed into Tonga on Monday with powerful winds ripping off roofs, tearing down trees and downing power lines in the South Pacific island nation. There were no immediate reports of casualties or severe damage, but the central islands group of Ha'apai faced "very destructive hurricane force winds" with gusts of 143 miles an hour, the Meteorological Office said. Heavy rain, thunderstorms, sea swells and flooding were expected. In the northern Vavau islands group, contact was lost shortly after midnight as Rene hit, sparking coastal flooding as roiling seas surged ashore. No deaths or injuries were yet reported, and the biggest impact so far was on crops, Tonga's police commander Chris Kelley said. "We are aware of some damage to buildings but nothing serious at this stage," he told The Associated Press from the capital, Nuku'alofa. People were moved to higher ground and into emergency centers from low-lying Ha'apai, he said. The cyclone cut power supplies in Nuku'alofa, and communications from the capital to other islands were also severed. "There are very few people about. People are staying home and there's plenty of wind and water," Kelley said. The South Pacific nation of Tonga has a population of 101,000. The storm missed both American Samoa, a U.S. territory, and the neighboring island nation of Samoa on Saturday, though caused heavy rains, high winds and large sea swells. Both areas were spared more devastation after being battered by a tsunami that killed 226 people last year. |
