Active cyclone season worries islanders

THE PACIFIC – South Pacific countries are bracing for what’s predicted to be an active cyclone season, with the worst expected from February.

People haven’t forgotten Cyclone Evan two years ago which killed 14 people in Samoa and caused $500 million worth of damage.

Local residents are preparing for the strong possibility of being hit again.

“I’m worried because ever since Evan we had to rebuild our house and everything. My concern is that if another storm strikes I’m not sure how we will recover,” one man told TV One News. And the forecast looks poor.

“It’s an elevated risk for much of the Pacific Islands near and east of the dateline. This includes Samoa,” says Chris Brandolino of NIWA.

On average, the region is usually hit by one-and-a-half cyclones per season but this time around, two-and-a-half cyclones are predicted. They usually come in the second half of the season from February onwards when ocean water temperatures are warmer.

“Tropical cyclones love warm ocean water,” Brandolino says.

And that’s not the only issue. The current El Nino weather pattern often produces slow moving cyclones which could mean heavy rain and storm surges for a longer period of time.

Agencies have been actively working together so they can swing into action in a co-ordinated way if a cyclone strikes.

“I can safely say that at the national level we can still respond effectively to any other cyclone that occurs and affects Samoa during this current cyclone season,” says Filomena Nelson of Disaster Management.

Village programmes are encouraging people to prepare and limit damage but it’s possible weather patterns will change in the next few weeks.

A new forecast is due out mid-January.