Here's the latest position & forecast track of Tropical Cyclone (TC) Gita at 8pm. In February, USAID donated $100,000 to assist the people affected by Cyclone Gita in Tonga; every year, the U.S. provides $21 million to the Pacific Island funds. The cyclone swept across the Pacific last week, bringing destruction and devastation to Tonga and Samoa. According to Pacific Islands Report, Tonga suffers from poverty because Tongans need to depend on overseas trades, tourism, aid donors and private sectors to bring money into their economy. "It's pretty rare to see the perfect circle, the centre of that storm, going right over the top of such a small island.". US STORM WARNING: Snow and blistering winds to batter Chicago, Detr... Cyclone Gita: What time will tropical storm hit Tonga today? Ambassador, to New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. "Everyone should be mindful of what might cause damage within their homes such as large trees that can potentially damage a house. Cyclone Gita has been forecasted to be the powerful storm to hit Tonga in its history. NEW DELHI -- Wide swaths of coastal India and Bangladesh were flooded and millions were without power Thursday as Cyclone Amphan, the most powerful storm to hit ⦠Fiji escaped major damage but Tonga suffered widespread destruction and flooding. The hurricane-force winds have already battered Samoa and American Samoa, causing flooding in the Samoan capital Apia. Cyclone Gita hit Tonga on Monday night (local time) after wreaking havoc in Samoa and American Samoa. The worst of the winds, however, extend for 200 to 300 kms out from the centre. Cyclone Gita caused flooding in Samoa over the weekend. The second named storm and first major tropical cyclone of the 2017â18 South Pacific cyclone season, Gita originated from a monsoon trough that was active in the South Pacific in early February 2018. It was possibly one of the worst storms to have hit the country. Tonga's residents are waking to the carnage left by Cyclone Gita in what was feared to be the fiercest storm in the tiny island nation's recorded history. The Impact of Cyclone Gita in Tonga On February 3, 2018, Tongans were hit with a tropical cyclone named Cyclone Gita â the most impactful tropical cyclone to hit Tonga in recorded history. The remnants of Cyclone Ita struck New Zealand in April 2014. A massive cleanup is under way in Tonga after the cyclone destroyed homes, buildings and food crops. newspaper archive. The still water left from the system has created concerns about the spread of dengue. The Category 4 storm, threatening to become a Category 5, is moving south across the Pacific and has hit Tonga’s capital Nuku’alofa. CYCLONE Gita battered Tonga last week with devastating winds that left thousands fleeing their homes. Cyclone Gita pummelled Samoa and American Samoa, about 900km to the northeast, over the weekend, causing widespread flooding and damage, particularly in Samoan capital Apia. Gita is expected to intensify into a category five storm in the coming hours, and is heading for Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia later in the week. After three long weeks, Gita heavily affected 70 percent, or 50,000 people â one-third of them being children. The islands are situated east of Australia and New Zealand. On March 13, 2015, heavy winds and rain from Category 5 Cyclone Pam struck Vanuatu, a string of South Pacific islands. With a population of 109,008 people, Tongans rely heavily on each other and the little they have to survive. Ex-Cyclone Gita wreaks havoc in New Zealand as military called in A STATE of emergency has been declared across large parts of New Zealand as locals are left stranded, tourists trapped and the military called in as ex-Cyclone Gita hits the country hard. The sovereign state stretches across roughly 800 kilometres in a north-south line, and it is surrounded by Fiji to the northwest, Samoa to the northeast, Niue to the east, Kermadec to the southwest, and Vanuatu to the west. Schools and workplaces in Tonga are closed ahead of the storm and police have announced an overnight curfew in central Nuku'alofa . See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, Cyclone Gita: Nelson residents set up sandbags 20 Feb 2018 The western edge of Tasman Bay and parts of Golden Bay are in the path of Cyclone Gita as it sweeps central New Zealand. Around 300 people were evacuated and many remain without clean, running water or power. [Gemma Snowdon/IFRC] What time will tropical cyclone Gita hit Tonga? Tropical Cyclone #Gita hit #Tonga today with the strength of a Category 4 hurricane, the #Himawari8 geostationary satellite captured the path of the storm over the past 24 hours. Cyclone Gita is now heading towards the islands of Tonga, Red Cross workers in Samoa have been helping with the relief effort, Cyclone Fehi: WATCH New Zealand live Webcam as Queenstown braces, ‘ARCTIC INVASION’ Record-breaking SNOWSTORM batters Moscow, Geomagnetic storm fears: Solar wind from hole in the Sun hit Earth. Tropical Cyclone Yasa struck one of Fiji's main islands as a Category 4 or 5 storm, making it one of the strongest storms on record to hit the nation. While only two people died from this tragedy, hundreds of homes, schools, buildings, churches and agricultural land were destroyed. In 1970, the U.S. and Tonga began a bilateral relationship after the U.S. accredited Kevin Franzheim II, the U.S. Severe Tropical Cyclone Gita was the most intense tropical cyclone to impact Tonga since reliable records began. Tonga MetService director Ofa Fa’anunu said: “We are worried because it looks like it will hit in the night time as well but heavy rain and flooding is always a problem on the main with water settling because it is quite flat.”. Homes, schools, crops, and water systems were destroyed, affecting more than half of the population in one of the worldâs poorest countries. Express. The tropical storm that's been wreaking havoc in the Pacific is set to hit New Zealand over the next 24 hours. ", Tonga Meteorological Service director Ofa Fa'anunu said: "We are looking at major structural damage.”. Now the tropical storm is heading for New Zealand - but will it hit NZ, and where, when and what time? About 80 percent of the population was affected and over 4500 houses being damaged or destroyed. In May, Cyclone Amphan battered the countryâs east coast, killing at least 70 people. Also, 98 percent of students were left without a school. The hurricane-force winds have already battered Samoa and American Samoa, causing flooding in ⦠Evacuation centres have been set up on the main island of Tongatapu, as well as the islands of Vava’u, Ha’apai, ‘Eua. The kingdom is made up of 169 islands of which 36 are inhabited. The Tongan Metservice said: “Very destructive winds are expected from this evening.”. New Zealand Tourism New Zealand Accommodation New Zealand Bed and Breakfast New Zealand Holiday Rentals New Zealand Holiday Packages New Zealand Flights Between 1900 and 1970 Tonga had British protected status, with the United Kingdom looking after its foreign affairs under a Treaty of Friendship. Power companies, airlines, the Interislander ferry and Civil Defence are on high alert through the centre of the country as they wait to see what Cyclone Gita brings to New Zealand. Cyclone Gita put Tongans at more of a risk as this population mainly depends on fishing and agriculture for an income. Rakhine State suffered a direct hit from the cyclone, with Gwa Township reporting the worst damage. Tonga, or the Kingdom of Tonga, is a Polynesian archipelago of 170 islands of which 36 are inhabited. Since then, the U.S. and Tonga have held a strong relationship with each other through trades and donations. CYCLONE Gita is set to batter Tonga with hurricane-force winds and the potential for flash floods this week as the island declares a state of emergency. Tonga, officially named the Kingdom of Tonga, is a Polynesian sovereign state in the southern Pacific Ocean. Gita passed just south of the main island of Tongatapu as a Category-4 storm with peak winds of 145 mph. Nisarga is the second cyclone to hit India in two weeks. Cyclone ⦠First classified as a tropical disturbance on 3 February, the nascent system meandered near Vanuatu for several days with little development. He continued: "That's a very serious situation, the capital is there, there's over 75,000 people. Staff writers, AP, AAP News Corp Australia Network February 21, 2018 10:55am Nearly 36 percent of Tonga is agricultural land and agriculture accounts for 30 percent of the GDP. The information ministry has advised anyone planning to move to shelters to leave early. New Zealand Tourism New Zealand Hotels New Zealand Bed and Breakfast New Zealand Vacation Rentals New Zealand Vacation Packages Flights to New Zealand Tonga has a population of roughly 107,122 people, with roughly 70% of them living on the main island of Tongatapu. Totally 56,000 hectares of crops and trees were destroyed due to the cyclone. While Cyclone Gita has been downgraded since it ⦠About 18,000 hectares of Coconut trees were damaged, mostly uprooted. Cyclone Gita has been forecasted to be the powerful storm to hit Tonga in its history. Cyclone Gita hit Tonga on the night of 12-13 February, destroying homes and severely damaging infrastructure on the most populated island of Tongatapu. The unfortunate news is that it is expected to take months for Tonga to recover, but the good news is that there is more than enough helping hands to speed up the process. Where will Gita make landfall? He said: "If it moves just a little bit north or south it may not make technical landfall but's severe weather, winds up to 230kmh, waves over 10 metres at sea and a storm surge over a metre on top of that.". order back issues and use the historic Daily Express After three long weeks, Gita heavily affected 70 percent, or 50,000 people — one-third of them being children. 45 people died, mostly in the districts of Thiruvarur, Thanjavur, and Pudukottai. – The Huffington Post, https://borgenproject.org/wp-content/uploads/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpg, Cyclone Gita in Tonga: The Impact and Solution, 5 Documentaries for Expanding Your Worldview, Three Organizations Helping Burmese Refugees in Buffalo, New York. In 1967, the U.S. brought the U.S. Peace Corps to Tonga to work and build a relationship with the Tongans. The World Bank also provided $14.95 million to the Pacific Resilience Program, a program dedicated to strengthening awareness and preparedness for natural disasters. Instead of working in the fields for income or going to school, Tongans had to refocus their attention on rebuilding their country. Philip Duncan, chief forecaster at New Zealand's Weather Watch service, said that Gita looks set to hammer Tongatapu directly. Cyclone Gita has hit New Zealand, turning rush hour to chaos and forcing evacuations. Powerful Cyclone Gita caused widespread damage to parts of Samoa and American Samoa last week before targeting Tonga Monday night into Tuesday. Cyclone Gita's path is so unpredictable it's impossible to know where in New Zealand will be hit, but one thing's for sure - the "high impact" cyclone will hit somewhere, forecasters say. A massive recovery effort followed. Although the people of Tonga still struggle to put families back into homes and children into school, the Tongan people continue to help each other rebuild their homes from the ground up. Tropical Cyclone Gita caused flooding in many parts of Tonga's main island. After acquiring a steady east trajectory near Fiji, it org⦠According to the most recent update ⦠Cyclone Gita: Where it will hit the hardest. “The Borgen Project is an incredible nonprofit organization that is addressing poverty and hunger and working towards ending them.” Landfall is where the centre of the low crosses land. Takaka Hill and Riwaka are soaked and damaged by ex-cyclone Gita. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. As of 2016, 22.5 percent of the population lived at, or below, the poverty line. Tonga could take six months to recover from what's being called the worst storm there in 60 years, while nearly half a Fiji island's residents are still in evacuation centres. Lasse Melgaard, Resident Representative from the South Pacific, said funds to the Pacific Resilience Program will go towards rebuilding 30 schools, which will put 9,000 students into a safer-built school. Other countries including New Zealand, India, Asia and Australia have also funded Tonga in relief efforts by donating money and humanitarian supplies. It made landfall (went on land) in Myanmar (Burma) in April and May 2008. At the same time, the nation lacks access to basic living essentials and services, and face poor climate. Thousands of cattle and birds died due to the cyclone. In fact, 8,456 people lived off of $3.10 or less a day, and 1,125 people of that lived off of $1.90 a day. Government and NGOs have been quick to mount a coordinated response. Duncan added that the storm could cause severe damage even if it stays offshore. On February 3, 2018, Tongans were hit with a tropical cyclone named Cyclone Gita — the most impactful tropical cyclone to hit Tonga in recorded history. Tropical Cyclone Gita inflicted $356 million pa'anga worth of damage on Tongatapu and âEua on 12 February this year, said Balwyn Faâotusia, the CEO for the Ministry of Finance and National Planning.. Three months after the Category 4-5 Tropical Cyclone Gita struck Tongatapu and âEua, the Tongan government on 11 May announced the figures for the damage. CYCLONE Gita battered parts of Tonga and Fiji as it howled through the south Pacific. Specifically, 171 homes were destroyed, more than 1,131 homes were damaged, about 5,700 people sought shelters, 129 classrooms in 83 schools were damaged (leaving 25,000 students affected and a total of 35,000 children affected) and $152 million worth of damage hit agricultural land. Cyclone Gita hit the Pacific island nations of Fiji and Tonga last week, packing winds up to 171 mph. 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