Cyclone Harold to directly hit Vanuatu

Vanuatu is bracing for a direct hit from the still intensifying Cyclone Harold, which is forecast to pass straight over the central islands, forcing the country to contend with dual emergencies.

Harold, a category four storm, was sitting off the country's west and continuing to strengthen on Sunday afternoon.

On its current track, Harold is forecast to pass directly over the islands of Malekula and Ambrym late tomorrow as a powerful and destructive category five storm - the highest category there is - with winds near its centre in excess of 200km/h.

[Already there is widespread flooding in Vanuatu as Cyclone Harold nears. Photo: VBTC]

While its path could stray from that forecast, Vanuatu is almost certain to experience some kind of direct hit.

Today, reports from islands in Vanuatu's west - including Santo, the country's largest - indicated that damage had already been done, with people forced to flee villages or find higher ground.

Pictures shared to social media showed villages on the island of Malekula, which is likely to bear a direct impact, flooded by rivers that spilled over their banks to swallow food gardens, and villagers boarding up huts and tightening thatching on their roofs.

[Forecast track map for severe Tropical Cyclone Harold shows it will develop to into a powerful category 5 cyclone. Photo: Fiji Meteorological Service]