Air Vanuatu has suspended all domestic and international flights while authorities are calling ships back to harbour, in anticipation of violent winds and a potentially tsunami-like storm surge as tropical Cyclone Lola bears down on the region.
Lola was earlier upgraded to a category 5 storm, with our Pacific neighbours on red alert as they brace for winds over 300km/h. It has since been downgraded to category 4.
Tropical Cyclone Lola is sitting just to the northeast of Vanuatu, and is expected to crash straight into the archipelago on Wednesday. It is the earliest recorded category 5 cyclone ever to develop in the South Pacific, with the official cyclone season not beginning until 1 November.
Port Vila residents preparing for Cyclone Lola Photo: RNZ Pacific / Hilaire Bule
Vanuatu Meteorological Service acting director Fred Jockley said at midday Lola was about 175km southeast of Vanua Lava in the country's north, and 120km northeast of Maewo in the south.
"We are expecting it to come in from the east of Penama Province," he told Checkpoint.
Trackers showed Lola on course to arrive at the archipelago late Tuesday evening.
"It will make a landfall over Pentecost Island … crossing most probably Malampa Province with category 5."
He said locals had been told to "seek shelter, get prepared, get water and what they need to, to get themselves prepared".
Officials had organised evacuation centres in places like churches and schools.
"Seek shelter, get prepared, get water" - Fred Jockley
Port Vila residents preparing for Cyclone Lola. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Hilaire Bule
The Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-hazards Department said heavy rainfalls with flash flooding were expected over low lying areas and areas close to river banks, including coastal flooding on Tuesday and continuing on Wednesday.
At 3pm (local time; 5pm NZ time) the department said Lola's winds were blowing up to 215km/h near its centre. In the next 24, it was expected to develop "very destructive hurricane-force winds" gusting up to 320km/h, affecting Torba, Sanma, Penama, Malampa and Shefa.
Even 160km from the eye of the storm, gale-force winds were expected.
"Marine strong wind warning is current for all Vanuatu waters. Storm surge is expected along the eastern coastlines [of] the affected northern islands. High seas wind warning is also current for northern quadrants of Vanuatu. People, including seagoing vessels, are advised to take extra precautions."
The Vanuatu Met Service has downgraded Tropical Cyclone Lola to a category four but says the massive storm will still pack a severe punch when it makes land.
RNZ Correspondant in Vanuatu Hilaire Bule said on Wednesday evening conditions in capital city Port Vila were calm, but strong winds were beginning to hit the northeastern Islands of Ambae and Maewo.
Winds close to the centre of the storm were gusting up to 190km/h an hour as tracked in a south-southwesterly direction towards northern parts of the island chain.