Tonga and Fiji issue severe warnings as nearby cyclones intensify
Fiji and Tonga, two countries located in the Pacific Ocean, are faced with the very likely possibility of being hit once again by cyclones, only eight months after the last event. Twin cyclones, Zazu and Yasa, are gaining in intensity close to the archipelagos and threaten to hit them directly. Fijian forecasters found that Yasa has reached a level 3 category and suspect that the cyclone will reach category five by Thursday (17.12.2020). Yasa is currently only 600 km away from the main island of the country, Viti Levu. For now, Zazu is a category one cyclone, but its status could evolve to category two on Wednesday (16.12.2020).
Fijian officials are now preparing evacuation centres to shelter the population were the cyclone to touch land. Inhabitants of both countries have been warned that strong winds and flash floods are to be expected. Fiji’s Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama, said that “we should all prepare now for heavy rain, damaging winds, coastal inundation, and flooding across the country”. People are thus encouraged to barricade themselves, to amass food and supplies, and to be aware of where the closest evacuation centre is from them.
According to Weatherwatch, a meteorological weather agency based in New Zealand, the proximity of the twin cyclones makes it difficult to forecast their future development. They should, however, not merge and form one bigger cyclone. Yaza is nonetheless very likely to hit Fiji directly.
In April of 2020, the region was already touched by Harold, a category five tropical cyclone which brought destruction to Fiji and Tonga, as well as to the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. The rarity of such events is rapidly decreasing, making Fiji and Tonga impacted more and more often by strong destructive winds and inundations. Bainimarama pins the cause of this increase on climate change and warns Fijians to “not be caught off guard by this latest storm”. Remembering cyclone Harold, he stated that “at the last minute it ramped up in strength and ended up being worse than predicted”. Fiji and its 900’000 inhabitants must thus once again prepare for the worst, only eight months after the last catastrophe.
Reference
- Agence France Presse
