Cyclone Evan, which has already reportedly claimed the lives of three people, continues to batter Samoa today and is expected to intensify with winds up to 145 kilometres per hour.
At least three people, two of them children, were reported to have been killed in the cyclone overnight.
Last night there were reports of widespread flash floods, blocked roads, damaged buildings and evacuations.
Radio Samoa reported that one of the victims, a man, drowned in the Vaisigano, a river that runs alongside the famous Aggie Grey’s hotel in Apia.
The river burst its banks, and local media said Aggie Grey’s had been badly damaged.
The cyclone destroyed homes and crops, brought down trees, flooded buildings and cut power in many parts of Apia.
New Zealand’s High Commissioner in Apia, Nick Hurley, told Radio New Zealand International the storm had a huge impact.
Photos are also coming through from Samoa of a number of roofs lying on the road, electric poles down and many buildings damaged.
A lot of people don’t have any water.
The trees have snapped, in a lot of cases have actually come down across roads, crashed into the fale, onto the houses.
There has been flooding around Apia, making it very difficult for people to move around.
A state of disaster has been declared in Samoa.
Story by: Vijay Narayan
