Two Cyclones, Tomas and Ului, slam the South Pacific
Two tropical Cyclones, Tomas and Ului slam the South Pacific
Cyclone Tomas, which peaked on Monday is now weakening as it moves southwards away from Fiji, leaving islanders to assess the damage caused by the Category four storm.
The storm, the second-most powerful on a five-point scale, brought winds of up to 120mph, which destroyed homes, uprooted trees and downed power lines.
6,000 residents fled to cyclone shelters after the Disaster Management Office issued warnings. Many living on the coast of outer islands in the path of the cyclone moved to higher ground because of expected floods.
At the same time, Tropical Cyclone Ului, another Category four storm with winds of 130 mph, is continuing to strengthen over the open water of the Coral Sea.
Ului, expected to strengthen into a Category five storm, brushed the southern provinces of the Solomon Islands but there were few reports of major damage and none of lives lost.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology says that Ului could a pose a threat to the Queensland coast.
