Hurricane Zoe causes severe damage to two small islands in SW Pacific - 01/01/03 03:31 PM
http://www.rambocam.com/sitedir.html
from that website, which has pics and info on this storm..
Cyclone Zoe swept over the islands of Tikopia and Anuta in the southwest Pacific on Sunday morning, with winds possibly gusting up to 223 miles an hour, according to the Tropical Cyclone Warning Center in Brisbane, Australia.
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I flew over Tikopia Island at 0900 on Jan 01 in a Cessna and the island is a scene of total devastation..in my experience with severe weather the maximum winds on the island would have been between 300 and 350kph...Tikopia Island would have been in the eyewall of Cyclone Zoe when it was at its peak strength, every tree on the island has been blown over or shredded, the island is completely denuded of vegetation, almost every building has been damaged, a few remain intact, while others have been shredded, and the sea has come through some villages and run into the lake which is the islands only water source, burying them, this sort of destruction is normally seen only after a strong tornado or volcanic eruption, a number of people, maybe 20 came down to the beach to watch us fly over, my pilot said he counted about 100 people in total, some signalled us with sheets of white plastic, others just sat there, we were unable to land as the island has no airstrip...I will not speculate on the likely casualties or fatalities, if it is not large it will be a miracle.....
from that website, which has pics and info on this storm..
Cyclone Zoe swept over the islands of Tikopia and Anuta in the southwest Pacific on Sunday morning, with winds possibly gusting up to 223 miles an hour, according to the Tropical Cyclone Warning Center in Brisbane, Australia.
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I flew over Tikopia Island at 0900 on Jan 01 in a Cessna and the island is a scene of total devastation..in my experience with severe weather the maximum winds on the island would have been between 300 and 350kph...Tikopia Island would have been in the eyewall of Cyclone Zoe when it was at its peak strength, every tree on the island has been blown over or shredded, the island is completely denuded of vegetation, almost every building has been damaged, a few remain intact, while others have been shredded, and the sea has come through some villages and run into the lake which is the islands only water source, burying them, this sort of destruction is normally seen only after a strong tornado or volcanic eruption, a number of people, maybe 20 came down to the beach to watch us fly over, my pilot said he counted about 100 people in total, some signalled us with sheets of white plastic, others just sat there, we were unable to land as the island has no airstrip...I will not speculate on the likely casualties or fatalities, if it is not large it will be a miracle.....
