Cyclone Gita, still strengthening, set sights on Niue and Tonga

Residents on Niue were battening down the hatches on Saturday afternoon as Cyclone Gita sets its sights on the island.

Having caused widespread flooding and damage in Samoa and American Samoa as a category two storm, Gita had veered southeast and was forecast to pass close to Niue's east coast overnight.

The Fiji Meteorological Service, which is responsible for warnings in the region, said Gita continued to intensify, and would likely do so for the coming day.

On current forecasts, it is expected to pass very close to the island's east coast, possibly as a category three storm.

The latest cyclone warning said Niue was likely to experience damaging winds, heavy rain and squally thunderstorms and damaging heavy swells as Gita approached.

The police chief, Tony Edwards, said residents were securing their houses and preparing for Gita's arrival.

He said authorities would meet this afternoon, and it was likely that a curfew would be imposed before nightfall.

"My intention is to increase the alert, and the only reason I would increase that would be because we're going into nightfall," Mr Edwards said.

"People need to be prepared so that when it's dark I don't want anyone outside trying to prepare themselves. Usually when we make the next alert, which is the yellow alert, we stop everything on island. Nothing is to happen."

From Niue, the cyclone is forecast to complete a westward arc, and head towards Tonga's densely populated and low-lying main island, Tongatapu, on Monday.

     

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