Fiji prepares for hurricane; Samoa cleans up after storm
People walk through debris in Samoa's capital Apia, Friday, Dec. 14, 2012, after cyclone Evan ripped through the South Pacific island nation. The powerful cyclone flattened homes and uprooted trees with winds of up to 165 kilometers (100 miles) per hour. Phone lines, Internet service and electricity were down across the country, and the airport was closed. (AP Photo/Seti Afoa)
A man wades through deep water in Samoa's capital Apia, Friday, Dec. 14, 2012, after cyclone Evan ripped through the South Pacific island nation. The powerful cyclone flattened homes and uprooted trees with winds of up to 165 kilometers (100 miles) per hour. Phone lines, Internet service and electricity were down across the country, and the airport was closed. (AP Photo/Seti Afoa)
People walk over a destroyed bridge in Samoa's capital Apia, Friday, Dec. 14, 2012, after cyclone Evan ripped through the South Pacific island nation. The powerful cyclone flattened homes and uprooted trees with winds of up to 165 kilometers (100 miles) per hour. Phone lines, Internet service and electricity were down across the country, and the airport was closed.(AP Photo/Seti Afoa)
As Samoa begins its clean up from the wrath of Tropical Cyclone Evan, Fiji is preparing for the impact of the storm as it moves to the west-southwest. Evan is expected to pass just to the north of Fiji on Sunday.
Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has warned his people to stay at home, take the proper precautions and to keep their loved ones close as
Two children have been confirmed dead on Samoa, with major damage being reported to the capital of Apia, according to the Australian Broadcast Corporation News.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully said today that there were reports three people had been killed by Cyclone Evan, but police in Samoa have not confirmed that yet.
The storm lashed Samoa with winds of up to 100 miles per hour. Samoa Observer editor Keni Lesa says the cyclone caused serious damage in the capital Apia, flinging cars into trees and causing flash floods. Phone lines, Internet service and electricity were down across the country, and the airport was closed.
Lesa says the village of Lelata just outside Apia looks “like a tsunami has struck” it.
Evan is expected to slowly strengthen before it affects Fiji on Sunday. Peak winds of the storm may approach 125 mph by then.
