Cyclone for Samoa

Samoa on alert after close call with cyclone

Samoans are breathing a "heavy sigh of relief" this morning after a tropical cyclone passed dangerously close to the capital.

NZ Herald,

22 January, 2013

Cyclone Garry is still moving past at about 200km northeast of Apia, which was badly damaged by Cyclone Evan in December.

"The alert is still there but it's been reduced very much, it's now a storm advisory," said New Zealand High Commissioner to Samoa, Nick Hurley.

While Hurley said the cyclone is moving quickly, at about 20km per hour, it is heading "slightly further away" in an easterly direction.

"It hasn't had a direct hit on Samoa so at the moment people are sighing a heavy sigh of relief," he said.

While Apia had not even experienced any rain, water levels were a lot fuller than usual and people were being "cautious".

"You never know, cyclones can do silly things like turn around."

With forecasts showing a continued pathway east, the impact on Samoa for the time being is "minimal", said Hurley.

Yet people were still nervous about what the cyclone might do.

"Having had the scare and impact of [Cyclone Evan], people are a lot more conscious this time both in terms of the authorities ... frequency of reports and preparedness," he said.

"This time people moved out of low lying areas, doing all those things they needed to do... their radios, batteries and their food supplies."

And with climate change set to increase the number and intensity of the storms, this won't be a "one-off event", he said.

Samoa is still recovering from the impact of Cyclone Evan, which wreaked havoc in the island nation last month.

While most infrastructure is back up and running, the Samoan National Disaster Coordination Centre wants people to remain vigilant over the next 12 to 24 hours, 3 News reported.

A more recent report from the ABC

Samoa keeps watch on passing cyclone

Tropical Cyclone Garry has intensified into a category two storm, as it moves erratically away from Samoa.

ABC,

22 January, 2013

Garry was last recorded about 120 nautical miles north of the American Samoa capital, Pago Pago.

The cyclone is moving slowly towards the US territory's eastern-most islands, but its track is unpredictable.

The US National Weather Service in Pago Pago says Garry is bringing gale force winds and has warned resident's of the Manu'a islands to be prepared.

Storm and strong wind warnings remain in place for Samoa.

Mulipola Titimaea, from Samoa's National Disaster Management Office, told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat the system was unpredictable.

"We are still maintaining our warnings, wind levels, the storm warnings, the storm surge, and also the possibility of heavy rain that might lead to flooding and landslide."

In American Samoa, Mase Akapo, from the Pago Pago office of the US National Weather Service, said the main island of Tutuila could expect gale-force winds, developing into storm-force, as Garry moves over the Manu'a islands.

"It looks as if once it passes American Samoa then it's going to head towards Raratonga, the Cook (Islands) and looks like it will intensify even stronger than that," he said.

Mr Titimaea, speaking of the storm's unpredictability, said it was similar to last month's devastating cyclone Evan "in character and formation, so we've learnt from that it's unpredictable."

The forecaster said: "If you compare it with (tropical cyclone) Evan . . . Evan was predicted to move south-west, but it moved north-east."

Garry was a very small system. "Some forecasters and scientists call them 'black swan' because it's hard to pick up the intensity from the radar centre."

More storms loom

Mr Titimaea said there was another depression to the east but it is very weak. "There's also an interesting one to the west, which could be forming again where the depression of Garry formed.

"It's a very busy season for us Pacific forecasters."

Two hundred school students in Fiji will take classes in temporary shelters for at least a month after damage caused by cyclone Evan.

Schools reopened this week for the first time since cyclone Evan hit in December, causing an estimated $US43 million damage.

Manasa Tagicakibau, director of the National Disaster Management Office, says the rebuilding of school buildings damaged by Evan continues, so temporary shelters have been erected.

"We have had 14 schools that were badly damaged, and these were the schools that we've erected temporary shelters for," the director sid.

"Apart from those 134 schools, other schools were badly damaged which the school children can still use the buildings while repair work carries on."