The cyclone killed 27 people in the Solomons late last week before barrelling southeast to directly hit Vanuatu as a Category 5, obliterating entire towns in the northern provinces. By clicking “I agree” below, you consent to the use by us and our third-party partners of cookies and data gathered from your use of our platforms. A flooded street in Tonga Photo: HMAF Tonga felt the brunt of Cyclone Harold this morning as the storm, packing gusts of up to 260 km/hr, passed to the south of Nuku'alofa. “It’s been a tricky one to predict,” meteorologist Bill Singh from New Zealand’s Metservice said. Tropical Cyclone Harold continued its destructive path by hitting the island of Tonga. One of the most notable locations in Tonga, a popular resort in Kanokupolu, has been damaged by Cyclone Harold. Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga - Tropical Cyclone HAROLD update (ECHO 09 Apr 2020) Thu, 09 Apr 2020 13:04 Tropical Cyclone HAROLD made landfall over Kandavu (Fiji) on 8 April in the morning (UTC), with maximum sustained winds up to 220 km/h and then continued moving south-east over the oceanm passing south of eastern Fiji islands and south of southern Tonga islands slightly weakening. The Category 5 cyclone – the strongest kind – also hit the Solomon Islands, Fiji, and Tonga. The storm is expected to strike the country in 48 hours. The cyclone killed 27 people in the Solomons late last week before barrelling southeast to directly hit Vanuatu as a Category 5 storm [AFP] A resurgent Tropical Cyclone Harold … By clicking “I agree” below, you consent to the use by us and our third-party partners of cookies and data gathered from your use of our platforms. See the force of the destructive winds as they smash into Tonga. By early morning it had again become a scale-topping Category 5 superstorm – surprising meteorologists after signs earlier in the week that its intensity was dropping. Harold had previously tracked across Vanuatu and Fiji. “It appears that many buildings and crops have been destroyed and some people in the most-affected areas have lost everything,” Red Cross Vanuatu Secretary-General Jacqueline de Gaillande said. 15th April, 2020 Australia stands with our Pacific family as the devastation of Cyclone Harold becomes clear. the next routine weather bulletin will be issued about 07:00pm this evening. But as it progressed over open warm waters it deepened.”, Video: NASA IMERG Animation of Heavy Rainfall from Tropical Cyclone #Harold This animation shows the heavy precipitation associated with Tropical Cyclone Harold as it progresses from the Solomon Islands… https://t.co/ificc4Fj2B, — NASAHurricane (@NASAHurricane) April 8, 2020. NUKU’ALOFA, May 1, 2020 – The Government of Tonga can now access an additional US $4.5million (approx. Above, Cyclone Harold over Vanuatu on April 6, 2020. “It’s almost unheard of to see a cyclone tracking south away from the equator, weakening, then suddenly returning back to Cat 5 so far south,” he said. On 2 April, storm Harold made landfall on the Solomon Islands, causing widespread flooding. Tropical Cyclone Harold lashed the South Pacific island of Vanuatu, ripping off roofs and downing telecommunications, before moving towards Fiji … TOP $10.4million) from its disaster insurance cover to support response and recovery efforts following the impact of Category five Tropical Cyclone Harold. The cyclone had already devastated the central islands of Vanuatu and parts of Fiji. This morning there were no major changes to the previous predictions of the Tonga Met Services regarding Tropical Cyclone Harold according to the Director – ‘Ofa Fa’anunu’s report, shortly after 10am this morning. this is the final tropical cyclone advisory on severe tropical cyclone harold for tonga. €5 every 4 weeks or just €50 €20 for the first year, €7 every 4 weeks or just €70 €30 for the first year. A resurgent Tropical Cyclone Harold demolished tourist resorts in Tonga, extending a week-long trail of destruction across four South Pacific island nations with more than two dozen people dead. “We are acutely conscious that this comes on top of the impact and difficulties created by COVID-19 for those countries,” said Payne. The cyclone gathered pace as it bore down on the tiny island kingdom, which declared a state of emergency, warning residents to seek shelter from destructive winds and massive sea surges. Severe Tropical Cyclone Harold strengthened to a category five cyclone overnight as it moves away from Fiji and heads to the Tonga group with wind gusts of 285km/h. CIVA team putting up shutters before Tropical Cyclone Harold arrives in Tonga Photo: Supplied Disaster resilience is one of the main jobs for the Community Integrated Vulnerability Assessment group or CIVA in the village of Fasi. Please enable cookies on your web browser in order to continue. Tonga is now in recovery mode, after Cyclone Harold struck the kingdom earlier today. Tonga starts long road back to normality after devastating Cyclone Harold, ... As one part of life in Tonga returns to some normality, Mr Moehau said the future is still uncertain for others. Harold is the first Category 5 severe tropical cyclone to form in the South Pacific basin since 2018 and so far the strongest storm of the 2019/20 South Pacific cyclone season. This content is currently not available in your region. There are reports of casualties in Tonga this afternoon after Cyclone Harold, bringing with it 190km/h winds and severe flooding, hit the kingdom overnight. Tropical cyclone Harold strengthen this morning to a category 5 again. (Source: NASA [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.) ‘Superstorm’ with winds of 260km per hour hammer South Pacific island nation with buildings reduced to rubble. See our, Read a limited number of articles each month, You consent to the use of cookies and tracking by us and third parties to provide you with personalized ads, Unlimited access to washingtonpost.com on any device, Unlimited access to all Washington Post apps, No on-site advertising or third-party ad tracking. You also agree to our Terms of Service. Radio & TV Tonga, Nuku’alofa, 8/04/2020. We rely on readers like you to uphold a free press. Tonga braces for Cyclone Harold damage after destruction in Fiji and Vanuatu. Cyclone Harold tore through the tiny Pacific island nation of Vanuatu this week, causing massive destruction. It is known that northern Vanuatu suffered its worst direct hit from a topical cyclone on record, The Washington Post reported. Fifita says as of this morning Cyclone Harold is still relatively far from Tonga but on its current course can be expected to enter Tongan waters by Thursday or Friday. We use cookies and other technologies to customize your experience, perform analytics and deliver personalized advertising on our sites, apps and newsletters and across the Internet based on your interests. The Fua’amotu Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre was activated this morning as severe Tropical Cyclone Harold is expected to enter Tongan waters as a Category 3 storm by Thursday morning, April 9. On Monday, Harold became the fifth Category 5 … Tonga braces for Cyclone Harold damage after destruction in Fiji and Vanuatu 11 months 10 days ago By Catherine Graue, Alan Weedon and Liam Fox. The new European data protection law requires us to inform you of the following before you use our website: We use cookies and other technologies to customize your experience, perform analytics and deliver personalized advertising on our sites, apps and newsletters and across the Internet based on your interests. Tropical cyclone Harold battered Tonga as the storm, packing gusts of up to 260 km per hour and passing to the south of Nuku'alofa, the capital city, after devastating the central islands of Vanuatu and many parts of Fiji from early this week. A group of youth volunteers in Tonga are doing their bit to rebuild the country post-Cyclone Harold. Harold weakened slightly to a still-formidable Category 4 as it lashed Fiji on Wednesday but hopes the storm was dissipating were dashed as it regathered momentum heading towards Tonga. Damaging winds and flooding rain are possible impacts in Tonga. Fiji has 15 virus cases and Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said it and cyclone meant “our economy and our people have been dealt two body blows to start the year”. “We knew the track it was going to take but initially everyone thought it was just going to be Cat 3 or 4. At least 28 people are missing, feared dead, in Solomon Islands after fierce winds swept passengers off a ferry on Friday 3 April. “No foreign personnel are being brought to Vanuatu for response efforts at the present time, this will be an internally run operation,” Vanuatu’s National Disaster Management Office said. Tropical Cyclone Harold is now heading towards Tonga, where it is expected to hit early Thursday Tropical cyclone Harold hits Fiji Islands with powerful winds … “This storm must not compromise our coronavirus containment efforts, lest we risk damage far more painful than the aftermath of any cyclone,” he said. The island of Tonga declared a state of emergency and warned residents to take shelter. Tropical Cyclone Harold, a category four cyclone (second highest on a five-tier scale) is expected to impact Tonga in the evening (local time) on Wednesday, April 8. The COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 Cyclone Harold are taking a heavy toll on Tonga’s economy, derailing the slow recovery from the devastating 2018 tropical Cyclone Gita. Cyclone Harold formed off the Solomon Islands in early April, made landfall in Vanuatu on 6 April and then moved to Fiji and Tonga. Coastal flooding could inundate low-lying areas. Cyclone Harold ripped through Vanuatu and Fiji as a deadly top-strength storm this week, causing injuries and damage to property, and severing communications. The IMF Executive Board approved the disbursement of US$9.95 million in emergency financing to help Tonga meet its urgent balance of payments and fiscal needs arising due to economic and healthcare support necessary to … Reports on the impact of Tropical Cyclone Harold are emerging from Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and Tonga as the destructive storm crosses the Pacific this week. Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said an air force plane carrying essential supplies, such as tents and water containers, was on its way to Vanuatu, while assistance had also been offered to other affected nations. Tonga has since announced a second State of Emergency to deal with the cyclone, having already declared one last month as a COVID-19 precaution. Packing winds of up to 260 kilometres per hour (160 miles per hour), it cut power in parts of Tonga and police said at least three tourist resorts north of the capital, Nukualofa, had been reduced to rubble. Tropical Cyclone "Harold" lashed Tonga on Thursday, April 9, 2020, after leaving major destruction across the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Fiji. There have been no reports of deaths so far in Vanuatu, Fiji or Tonga, with emergency workers saying residents in the hardest-hit areas took shelter early. As Vanuatu and Fiji emerge from a trail of destruction left by Tropical Cyclone Harold, Tonga is bracing for damage as … Vanuatu said any supplies that came into the country would be handled with protective equipment, and air crews delivering them would be isolated in transit areas. Cyclone Harold is moving at a slow rate and this morning was still in Vanuatu waters about 380km to the north west of the capital – Port Vila, and 2120km from Nuku’alofa. See our Privacy Policy and Third Party Partners to learn more about the use of data and your rights. The cyclone gathered pace as it bore down on the tiny island kingdom on Thursday, which declared a state of emergency and warned residents to seek shelter from destructive winds and massive sea surges. The official NaDraki weather service said the cyclone was offshore south of Fiji's main island Viti Levu, but passing closer to land than initially expected. The storm is expected to head away from Tonga onto the open ocean late on Thursday, but weather forecaster Philip Duncan said there were no certainties. Tropical Cyclone Harold – the most powerful storm to hit the South Pacific in years – wrought havoc earlier this month, compounding the burden for Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga and the Solomon Islands, which were already struggling to cope with the impacts of coronavirus. At a Glance Tropical Cyclone Harold will scrape Tonga after hammering parts of Fiji and Vanuatu. Tonga marks the third island country to be hit by Harold in barely four days’ time, the relentless cyclone maintaining high-end Category 3 strength as its … Photo: Fiji Meteorological Service A resurgent Tropical Cyclone Harold flattened tourist resorts in Tonga Thursday, extending a week-long trail of destruction across four South Pacific island nations that has claimed more than two dozen lives. Next in the crosshairs is Tonga, where a supermoon and high tide warning for Thursday and Friday could exacerbate the damage, The Guardian reported. Pacific Beat / By Catherine Graue, Alan Weedon and Liam Fox. Tonga braces for Cyclone Harold damage after destruction in Fiji and Vanuatu By Catherine Graue, Alan Weedon and Liam Fox, Thursday April 9, 2020 - 18:22 EST Cyclone Harold has sent multiple Pacific countries into states of emergency over the past week. Tropical Cyclone Harold weakened slightly overnight from a scale-topping Category Five to a Four, but was still lashing Fiji with winds of up to 240 kilometres per hour (150 miles per hour), forecasters said. This is based on the latest forecast track. War-torn Syria to hold presidential elections on May 26, US backs Japan’s Fukushima plans despite S Korea’s concerns, Quake hits southern Iran, no damage reported at nuclear plant, India continues reporting record high daily COVID cases, COVID roundup: India’s record cases, no masks in Israel, Saudi, Iranian officials held direct talks in Iraq: Report, Ukraine-Turkey cooperation has its limits, Lebanon faces tough Ramadan amid ‘insane’ food prices, Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights. NUKU’ALOFA, TONGA (1 May 2020) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) today approved a $200,000 (460,000 pa’anga) grant to the Government of Tonga to help restore life-sustaining services following the damage from Tropical Cyclone Harold. 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