Cyclone Season Begins in South Pacific
Pastor Dale Morgan
Cyclone Season Begins in South Pacific*
The Associated Press
Monday, October 23, 2006; 11:30 PM
WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- The first storm of the South Pacific cyclone
season hit outlying islands of Vanuatu on Tuesday, packing powerful
winds, heavy rains and big ocean swells, officials said.
Communications lines to the Banks, Maewo and Torres islands were cut by
the storm, which was strengthening as it moved southeast toward the
capital, Port Vila, with winds near the center of the storm estimated at
94 mph.
"We don't know if there has been any damage yet," said Lucas Merrigan of
the country's Disaster Management Office.
The Fiji Tropical Cyclone Center said the storm, called Cyclone Xavier,
could bring "destructive" winds to Vanuatu's northern islands on Tuesday
and Wednesday, and warned residents of the country to take precautions.
Vanuatu, formerly the New Hebrides Islands, is made up of 13 main
islands located 1,680 miles northwest of New Zealand.
The South Pacific cyclone season normally runs from November through
April and can cause widespread damage to tiny island states, including
coral atolls only meters above sea level that are at the mercy of wave
surges.
Cyclones _ known as typhoons in much of Asia and hurricanes in the
Western hemisphere _ are large-scale rotating storms that generate high
winds and typically form at sea before moving inland.