PORT VILA – Authorities in Vanuatu are preparing for potential evacuations and massive damage ahead of the arrival of a powerful cyclone which has been upgraded to category five.

Tropical Cyclone Pam is moving slowly on a southerly track towards the Pacific nation, with winds of about 215 kilometres an hour.

United Nations agency Unicef said it was on standby and ready to respond with emergency supplies and personnel. Approximately 260,000 people were located in the potential disaster zone.

The storm was expected to reach winds of up to 280 kilometres per hour near its centre when it passes east of Vanuatu’s capital, Port Villa, last night.

David Gibson, acting director of Vanuatu’s meteorological department, said people needed to be prepared for the category five storm.

“This is the first time that we will experience such cyclonic intensity if it eventuates based on the forecast track,” he said. “All preparations are underway to inform everybody about this.

“If the forecast track keeps further to the east, then we may get some gales, but if it changes and moves much closer, more southward, there is a possibility that we may get more damaging storms and storm-force winds for the central and southern islands.”

Vanuatu’s government has issued cyclone warnings for Torba, Sanma, Penama, Malampa, Shefa and Tafea provinces.

It warned that torrential rainfall and flooding, including flash flooding were likely over low-lying areas, river banks and near coastal areas.

There was also the risk of landslides, the government said on its meteorological website.

Jotham Napat, chairman of Vanuatu’s National Disaster Management Committee (NDMC), said potential evacuation centres had been established across the country.

“We are requesting our police officers to move into different communities to let them know they need to be evacuated to certain areas; we’ll be using mostly the churches and the public buildings,” he said.

Residents in Port Vila have been boarding up windows and stocking up on supplies in preparation for the arrival of cyclone Pam.

But Napat said police had to tell vendors at the city’s markets to go home on Thursday.

“We see that it’s more appropriate for them to go home and prepare for the cyclone,” he said.

National Disaster Management Office acting director Peter Korisa said the storm began to bear down on Torba province late Thursday night, forcing at least 300 people to evacuate from their homes.

“I think it’s too early to get the impact report or damage report. We advised them to move to a safer area – especially people living in very vulnerable traditional buildings. They need to find a good building where they can be safe.”

To the southeast in Fiji, schools have been ordered to close and the military has been deployed across the country to help with any response, while in New Caledonia, people have been advised to prepare emergency supplies.

Tropical Cyclone Pam is not expected to directly hit Fiji.

“However, associated active rain bands will bring heavy rain over the country with possibly strong and gusty north-west winds,” Fiji’s government said.

“A heavy rain warning remains in force for whole of the Fiji group. Heavy rainfall may cause flooding, especially in low-lying areas.”

Fijian education minister Mahendra Reddy has ordered schools across the country to close on Friday.

The Fiji military has been engaged and troops have been sent out across the country as emergency services step up preparations for the cyclone.

The Land Force Commander, Sitiveni Qiliho, says his men are expected to play a large part in preparation and in any potential disaster response.

Colonel Qiliho says troops have already been sent to 20 locations across the country.

“We have 89 engineers deployed on 14 projects around the two main islands.

Colonel Qiliho says the rest of the force has the capacity to move into action within two hours.

More than 500 students in Solomon Islands have been evacuated from the flood prone Selwyn College due to the continuous heavy rains in the country.

The Solomon Star Newspaper says the police and correctional services provided support vehicles for the evacuation to bring students from the school in West Guadalcanal back to the capital Honiara.

Solomon Islands is on the outskirts of the area affected by Cyclone Pam which passed the country on its way towards Vanuatu.

A cyclone watch advisory remains in place for the eastern parts of Temotu Province particularly the Anuta and Fututaka islands.

New Caledonia’s civil defence organisation has issued a cyclone pre-alert.

It says on its current path, Cyclone Pam will pass about 200 kilometres east of the island of Mare on Saturday, bringing violent gusts and heavy rain.

New Zealand’s civil defencehas urged people in the North Island to prepare for severe gales and heavy rain.

The system was forecast to pass just to the east of New Zealand’s East Cape during Monday, by which time it will have downgraded to an ex-tropical cyclone.

While the exact path of the cyclone was still uncertain, severe weather was likely to affect parts of the country, especially the northeast of the North Island, MetService said.

The fifth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race from Auckland to Itajai in Brazil was due to start on Sunday, but organisers had decided to delay the race until Monday.

Gisborne and Bay of Plenty Civil Defence on Thursday issued warnings urging residents to be prepared for high winds, large sea swells, rain, coastal erosion, road closures and power loss from late Sunday.