Cook Islands' cyclone weakens

Gale warnings have been lifted for the Cook Islands as a cyclone weakens after
hitting the islands on Thursday morning.
The Fiji Meteorological Service said on Thursday evening it had cancelled the gale
warnings for Rarotonga, Aitutaki and nearby smaller islands.
Tropical Cyclone Pat was weakening rapidly and moving further away from the southern
Cooks, it said.
Rain and winds, gusting up to 64km/h but gradually easing, were still expected in
the area.
The cyclone hit the island of Aitutaki early Thursday morning with winds of 139
km/h, gusting to 185 km/h.
The prime minister declared a state of disaster for Aitutaki and Rarotonga, though
the cyclone was expected to miss Rarotonga.
The New Zealand Red Cross said up to 90 per cent of houses on Aitutaki were reported
to be severely damaged.
Phones, roads, electricity and air transport had all been disrupted.
The organisation had already sent relief items including tarpaulins, satellite
phones, candles, first aid kits and raincoats and had aid workers on standby to fly
to the Cook Islands.
The Red Cross was raising funds for the Cook Islands and people could donate on its
website, at Red Cross offices or by mailing cheques.
It said people had offered different types of assistance, but it could only accept
money as voluntary assistance, clothes or goods were not immediately helpful in the
situation.
An Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) spokesman said on Aitutaki the villages Amuri
and Arutanga, with a combined population of 400, on the northern side of the island
were the worst hit.
So far only two people had been reported as injured and both were in a stable
condition.
An NZAID spokesman said the islands had good emergency warning systems and people
had time to head for shelters before the cyclone struck.
Cook Islands Tourism's New Zealand manager Chris Ingram said the island's resort
hotels had sustained only minor damage as they were built to withstand the cyclone
season, although guests appeared shaken.
"The fact it hit in the early hours of the morning when it was dark would certainly
have intensified the experience. Guests and locals were moved to safety centres on
the island and this no doubt contributed to the fact there were no casualties or
injuries."
Power remained off on Thursday afternoon, but some communications had been restored
and the airport on Aitutaki was now open.
A decision on New Zealand's response to the disaster had not yet been made; a
spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said the government was
waiting for conditions to clear so a plane could fly over the area to assess the
situation.
"We are currently on stand-by and waiting for requests for assistance," he said on
Thursday.
A Royal New Zealand Air Force spokesman said crews and planes were ready to go and
were awaiting the green light.