NUKU‘ALOFA – The Tonga government has cancelled the state of emergency that was declared for the Vava‘u and Ha‘apai island groups on January 31 as Tropical Cyclone Ula entered Tongan waters.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Emergency Management Committee Siaosi Sovaleni said that the state of emergency was terminated by the Prime Minister after he had visited Vava‘u with a team to assess the situation.

Tropical Cyclone Ula, Category 3, was expected to make a direct hit on Vava‘u on Saturday night January 2, but fortunately it diverted a little and it did not inflict as much damage as it was expected.

Cyclone Ula also passed by Ha‘apai with winds gusting up to 120kph and again did not inflict as much damage as it was feared.

Sovaleni said that apart from damage to a causeway at the village of Uoleva during high tide, there was no serious damage to any public infrastructure on the island.

Every cloud has a silver ling with ‘Ofa Fa’anunu, the Director of Tonga Met, pointing out that the islands were blessed with much needed heavy rain.

The whole of Tonga is experiencing drought and water shortages due to El Niño conditions.

Sovaleni said he was satisfied with the state of alertness for Ula. Part of the preparation was the establishment of 16 Evacuation Centres in Vava‘u and three in Ha‘apai, located in Latter Day’s Saints Church buildings.

In Vava’u about 500 people, many of them disabled people in wheel chairs took shelter in the centres from New year’s Eve night.

Ula was the second tropical cyclone to have visited Tonga during the current cyclone season, and according to ‘Ofa the Met Office is expecting three more to come Tonga’s way this year.

The Fiji government is to deploy a team of officials this week to assist villagers affected by Tropical Cyclone Ula in the Southern Lau group of islands.

The Disaster Management Office says reports from Ono-i-Lau and Kabara say there were no casualties and no significant structural damage, but some corrugated iron roofs were blown away.

The Fiji Times reports the NDMO director, Akapusi Tuifagalele, said the government is looking at getting a government boat to visit the islands of Kabara, Namuka, Fulaga, Ogea, Vatoa and Ono-i-lau to conduct damage assessments.

Meanwhile, the Fiji Red Cross Society says it’s on standby to assist.

Operation manager, Eseroma Ledua, says the information they have received is that even though some bridges were closed and some places were flooded, homes were not destroyed.

The Red Cross is calling on people who wish to donate useful items like blankets and clothing that they are welcomed to do so.

Cyclone Ula is weakening to a category two system south of Fiji and has now turned into a west northwesterly direction in which it is forecast to move for the next few days.

Carlos Calderon, Pacific Humanitarian Manager for Oxfam New Zealand, said the severity of the storm can be attributed to global temperature increases from the current super charged El Nino.

“Already, the people of Tonga have rung in the new year with a category three cyclone. Extreme weather events like Cyclone Ula are likely to become increasingly common,

“For many communities in the Pacific already affected by drought and flooding from king tides, life in 2016 looks like it’s going to become even tougher.” Calderon said. - PNC Source