Gita moving away from Samoa — floods causing damage

Category 2 winds of 55 to 72mph brought by Cyclone Gita Saturday morning (yesterday Samoa time) have been cancelled.

The cancellation came from the latest Samoa Met Office special weather bulletin issued yesterday afternoon as the nation recovered from the devastation caused by the Cyclone overnight. The bulk of the damage appears to have been caused by flooding.

Yesterday afternoon, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi addressed the nation during a press conference held inside his office.

He said there are evacuation sites available at Tuana’imato for families whose homes have been affected by flooding.

Tuilaepa’s Administration held an emergency meeting to map out their response to aftermath of the cyclone.

 “Late last night it was category one however as of this morning it had increased to a level two category,” he said.

“The good news is that it is slowly moving away from us.”

Some of the villages badly affected by flooding include Lelata, Apia Park, Fa’atoia, Matautu, Fugalei, Taufusi and Pesega.

Little is known about the damage done to Savaii and villages in rural areas.

Read more at Samoa Observer