Cyclone Evan

Samoa food shortages predicted after cyclone

Aid agency Oxfam is predicting that severe damage to crops in Samoa from Cyclone Evan will mean food shortages.

Radio NZ,

19 December, 2012

Five people were killed when the cyclone slammed into Samoa last week, wrecking buildings, destroying crops and causing rivers to flood.

Cyclone Evan went on to pound Fiji for more than 12 hours on Monday, destroying homes and hitting the communication network, power and water supplies.

Thousands of people sheltered in evacuation centres as western parts of the main island Viti Levu bore the brunt of the category four storm.

Oxfam spokesperson Andy Thomson told Radio New Zealand's Morning Report programme that there has been major damage to plantations in most areas of Samoa and while there is enough food for now, as time goes on there will be shortages.

He said Apia and south west Upolu have been hit the hardest, with about 500 houses destroyed.

The Red Cross in Fiji says about 1200 people remain in evacuation centres and hundreds of houses are damaged following the category four storm.

Fiji Red Cross Director General Filipe Nainoca said one of the hardest hit areas is the second largest city Lautoka where about 600 houses have lost roofs.

He told Morning Report he expects the Red Cross will have to ask for help from overseas.

International aid

The New Zealand Government is making $50,000 immediately available for responding to specific requests from Fiji. In addition, tarpaulins, water containers, generators and chainsaw packs are on the way to Fiji on commercial flights and a contribution of $170,000 to the Fiji Red Cross will help it to replenish supplies.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said New Zealand is also providing more financial help for Samoa following its initial pledge of $50,000 and is now offering to make another $550,000 available to support relief and early recovery efforts.

Australia will give Fiji and Samoa an initial $A1 million worth of emergency assistance each, AAP reports.

Auckland to add its help for cyclone-hit Pacific

Auckland mayor Len Brown is to meet Pacific community leaders and government agencies to co-ordinate the city's efforts to help Samoa and Fiji recover from Cyclone Evan.

Mr Brown said Friday's meeting would focus on Samoa's immediate needs, which are likely to be food, clothing and building materials. Auckland Council will also look at relief funding and help to repair roads and water supplies.

The council's Pacific Peoples Advisory Panel chairman Uesifili Unasa said the council could also set up collection points for relief supplies and instruct its ports company to waive fees for shipping them to the islands.

This seems to have practically gone off the radar – updates more recent than this

Cyclone Evan's remnants could lash NZ

Aid agency Oxfam is predicting that severe damage to crops in Samoa from Cyclone Evan will mean food shortages.

TVNZ,

18 December, 2012

The remnants of Tropical Cyclone Evan could bring heavy rain and strong winds to New Zealand at the weekend.

Evan is moving away to the south of Fiji and the destructive storms experienced on the main island of Viti Levu yesterday and overnight have eased.

New Zealand's MetService says it expects to take over warning responsibility for Evan on Thursday, when it crosses 25 degrees South latitude.

"Evan's current track takes it more or less southwards and it is likely to pass within a few hundred kilometres of northern New Zealand during the weekend," said MetService Chief Forecaster Peter Kreft.

Evan is very unlikely to be a tropical cyclone by the time of its closest approach to the North Island, he said.

But it will have brought a large amount of tropical air into the New Zealand region, which means potential for heavy rainfall in places with strong onshore winds.
Currently, MetService is forecasting rain this weekend for Northland, Auckland and Coromandel.

There is still a lot of conflicting information about Evan's track beyond about Friday, Kreft said.

"It is likely to swing away from the North Island into the north Tasman Sea on Sunday, but this is by no means certain," he said.

"We're very conscious of the possibility of a track which takes Evan near East Cape. This would be a totally different ball game."

Irrespective of Evan's path through the New Zealand area, Christmas Day is likely to be warm, and probably not windy, in most places, Kreft said.

However, it is still a little early to say which - if any - areas might be wet, he said.
Keep up to date with the latest forecasts and any watches or warnings on our weather page.