13/Feb/2018 14:49 UTC

The first JRC Emergency Report related to this event was prepared on 12 February; the current report is an update of the situation and includes only the new information. The eye of the Tropical Cyclone GITA passed south of the islands of Eua and Tongatapu (Tonga) on 12 February morning (UTC) as an intense Tropical Cyclone with max. sustained winds of 230 km/h . Very strong winds, heavy rains and storm surge affected the islands of Eua, Tongatapu, including the capital Nuku’alofa. On 13 February morning (UTC), it passed south of Ono-I-Lau (Lau islands, Fiji), still with max. sustained winds of 210-220 km/h. Over the next 24 h, GITA is forecast to continue moving west passing approx 200 km south of Kandavu island (Fiji) on 13 February (evening) and it will start turning south-west on 14 February, moving away from Fiji and Tonga. Tonga (Tongatapu and Eua): 1 fatality, 3 serious and 30 minor injuries, 3 939 people evacuated inside 48 evacuation centers, several buildings damaged, including the parliament building, flooded roads and the airport is currently closed. The Copernicus Emergency Management Service was activated ( EMSR269) on 12 February for the west part of Tonga, in coordination with other international initiatives (i.e. UNOSAT, Charter of Major Disasters). The Joint Research Centre (JRC) is following the event through the information automatically collected and analysed in the Global Disasters Alerts and Coordination System (GDACS), providing situation maps and compiling this report. GDACS issued a RED alert for TC GITA in Tonga on 11 February, 24h in advance to the landfall. The Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) is closely monitoring the situation, in coordination with a DG ECHO field expert who is being deployed to the region.

12/Feb/2018 14:45 UTC

Tropical Cyclone GITA passed near the islands of Eua and Tongatapu on 12 February morning (UTC), as an intense Tropical Cyclone with max. sustained winds of 230 km/h. Very strong winds, heavy rains and storm surge affected the islands of Eua and Tongatapu, including the capital Nuku’alofa. Over the next 24 h, GITA is forecast to continue moving west, passing near Ono-I-Lau island (Lau islands, Fiji) on 13 February morning (UTC), still as an intense Tropical Cyclone. Very strong winds , heavy rains and storm surge could also affect the southern Lau islands, especially Ono-I-Lau and Vatoa. The government of Tonga has declared a state of emergency. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) is following the event through the information automatically collected and analysed in the Global Disasters Alerts and Coordination System (GDACS). GDACS issued a RED alert for TC GITA in Tonga on 11 February, providing situation maps and compiling this report.

28/Feb/2018 07:04 UTC