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The Polynesian island kingdom of Tonga in South Pacific was ravaged by a Category 4 tropical cyclone on 12 February which left homes flattened, trees uprooted and power lines damaged. Cyclone Gita was the strongest in 60 years to hit the island, which is a favourite among the tourists.
The cyclone brought strong winds, storm surge and torrential rain to the main island of Tongatapu, which is also the location of the kingdom’s capital Nukuʻalofa.
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A close-up of tropical #cyclone #Gita approaching #Tonga, from the #Himawari8 satellite. The powerful Category 4 storm battered the South Pacific island nation with 145 mph winds and heavy rain. See more: https://t.co/feD9kmpVxE pic.twitter.com/eBG3pQLJPO
— NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) February 12, 2018
Among the buildings flattened by the approximately 233 km/h winds of Cyclone Gita was the 100-year-old Parliament building in the capital city, the pictures of which became the symbol of the devastation caused by the cyclone.
Most of the houses destroyed were older constructions. An estimated 40 per cent of all the houses in the capital have been smashed by Cyclone Gita.
Though many were left injured, no lives were lost in the kingdom. The Cyclone has moved away from Tonga and is passing through the south of Fiji.
Tropical Cyclone #Gita is maintaining strength and passing to the south of #Fiji in the South Pacific. pic.twitter.com/8twOb95TBR
— Met Office Storms (@metofficestorms) February 13, 2018
Tonga had declared a state of emergency and set up evacuation centres before Cyclone Gita hit.
“The wind was terrifying. It was roaring overhead. We could hear roofs being lifted,” a witness told Radio New Zealand.
Nearby island of Samoa (the US), too, was flooded due to rains brought by the Cyclone. Red Cross workers were seen helping people in distress and carrying out assessments of the damage.
Tonga is made up of more than 170 islands, and is located in the Pacific Ocean east of Fiji and north of New Zealand.
Cyclone Gita, which has been upgraded to Category 5, is now heading towards Vanuatu and New Caledonia – islands lying to the northeast of Fiji. New Zealand, which has donated $5,45,000 in aid to Tonga besides providing emergency relief, is carefully watching the movement of the Cyclone out of fear that it might hit the islands in a week.
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