Cyclone Harold intensified rapidly on Sunday just west of the archipelago nation of Vanuatu in the South Pacific. Harold is now a severe Category Four storm producing destructive winds up to 270 kph along with a deadly storm surge and flooding rains. The cyclone has made landfall over the largest of Vanuatu’s islands, Espirito Santu, as of Monday morning local time. The eyewall will be lashing the city of Luganville in the midday hours.
#CycloneHarold #Vanuatu #TCHarold #Santo First images coming in from main street of #Luganville on Espiritu Santo island which is experiencing the full force of Harold. pic.twitter.com/ltcVijAyxZ
— Sandra in Vanuatu (@sandravanuatu) April 6, 2020
Officials have lifted pandemic-related restrictions on large numbers of people gathering together to allow residents to seek refuge in regional evacuation centers. Some natives have even adopted the sheltering ways of their ancestors, hiding in mountain caves. Most residents can easily recall one of the worst natural disasters to ever strike Vanuatu, Cyclone Pam, just five years ago. Pam was bit stronger than Harold, a Category Five with winds up to 300 kph. However, Harold is on track to affect more of the larger islands and population centers. It’s also moving more slowly, prolonging the period of dangerous conditions. Social media posts indicate significant damage has already occurred in Luganville, a city of more than 16,000, with the worst winds yet to come.
Category 4 Cyclone #Harold is making landfall on #Vanuatu,
where it’s Monday morning. Visible #Himawari images of #CycloneHarold at https://t.co/gZ71dzlmmi pic.twitter.com/T3zi2AEXu9— UW-Madison CIMSS (@UWCIMSS) April 5, 2020
Harold will continue to move east-southeast with conditions improving on the islands of Vanuatu later Tuesday. There is a risk of significant impacts to the Fiji Islands later in the week, although some weakening is expected in the interim. Residents there should keep a close eye on Harold’s progress in the next few days and make appropriate preparations.