Cyclone Lola, category 3, with a maximum of 5, hit the Vanuatu archipelago in the South Pacific this Wednesday, with sustained winds of 150 kilometers per hour that cut off communications with some islands.
Lola made landfall this morning in Vanuatu, on the Penama Islands, in the northwest of the archipelago, inhabited by about 30,000 people, according to a statement released by the Department of Meteorology and Geological Hazards of Vanuatu.
Vanuatu Prime Minister Charlot Salwai told New Zealand public broadcaster Radio New Zealand that communications with Penama have been cut off since Tuesday night and that it is difficult to know the situation in the region.
The forecast is that the first emergency teams will transmit information about the impact of the cyclone in Penama throughout the day, while the red alert is maintained for the other six regions of Vanuatu.
Among them the capital, Port Vila, where all government buildings, markets and banks are closed.
Authorities have warned of the risk of torrential rain, strong waves and flooding in low-lying areas of the South Pacific island nation, urging residents to stockpile food and prepare for possible evacuation of their homes.
According to forecasts, Lola, which lost strength after making landfall, will cross Vanuatu throughout the day on Wednesday and reach the French overseas territory of New Caledonia on Friday, but only as a tropical storm.
Lola marked the earlier-than-expected start of the South Pacific cyclone season, which normally runs between November 1 and April 30.
Vanuatu is a Pacific archipelago made up of 83 islands with a total area of 12,200 square kilometers, inhabited by just over 283 thousand inhabitants and surrounded by 450 thousand square kilometers of territorial waters.
Source: TSF
