Tonga feels wrath of powerful cyclone Ian
Print Edition
The most powerful cyclone ever to slam into the South Pacific tourist destination of Tonga has destroyed villages, flattened trees and left at least one person dead, officials said yesterday.
Up to 70 percent of houses and buildings in the central Ha’apai islands group, which is home to about 8,000 people and bore the brunt of Cyclone Ian, were damaged or destroyed.
The Tongan government declared a state of emergency in the Ha’apai region after it was pounded by winds over 200 kilometers per hour which whipped up mountainous seas around coastal villages.
Although initial reports when the cyclone hit on Saturday said there had only been minor damage, the full extent of the destruction began to emerge when communications were partially restored a day later.
“Seventy percent of houses (on Ha’apai) are damaged or blown away, and the rest of the 30 percent are affected by water,” Tongan military commander Satisi Vunipola said.
Residents on Ha’apai’s main island of Lifuka were reported to have huddled in churches for shelter as houses were destroyed in the furious cyclone.
Ian Wilson, a New Zealand emergency management official, said Lifuka was in the direct path of the cyclone.
“Whatever was on the island has been damaged, whether it’s buildings, crops, roading or infrastructure, it’s all been damaged,” said Wilson.
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