Tonga Escapes Worst Of Cyclone Tino

Tonga escapes worst of Cyclone Tino

Wellington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Jan, 2020 ) :Severe Tropical Cyclone Tino "turned a large blind eye" on Tonga's main island of Tongatapu which escaped a direct hit, the head of the National Emergency Management Office said Sunday.

There were no casualties reported throughout Tonga although the sparsely populated and remote islands in the north of the archipelago were reported to have suffered severe damage as the category three storm passed overnight at high tide.

"Our Met Office says the face of Tino was to the north where all the wind and rain was, but on the south side it turned a large blind eye on Tongatapu, even though it was so close," said Paula Mau, the National Emergency Management Office director.

"It's surprising to see the effects of nature.

" Tino barely grazed the capital Nuku'alofa, which had been on track for a direct hit and Tongatapu, home to most of the Tongan population, was spared the high winds and heavy rain.

However, the island groups to the north, Vava'u and Ha'apai, were hammered by torrential rain and destructive winds with gusts up to 180 kilometres per hour (110 mph).

Shane Egan, who lives in the northwest of Tongatapu, said waves reached the edges of properties, sweeping away trees and fenceposts.

"There was so much debris in the water to avoid. All our step logs, coconuts, coconut trees, branches, fence posts with nails and large coral boulders," he said, adding local youths went swimming in the freak waves.

"Everyone appeared to survive the day pretty much unscathed."

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