Polynesia

Havoc in French Polynesia

By Al Prince

FRENCH Polynesia’s first major cyclone since 1983 caused an estimated US$6O million in dam age from December 9 to 12 in all six of the Leeward Islands, the two Windward Islands of Tahiti and Moorea, and several of the Austral Islands.

Cyclone Wasa, with gusts of wind reaching 140 to 160 kph, destroyed 367 homes, damaged 855 other homes, de stroyed or damaged a variety of crops and damaged many public buildings, hotels, roads and power installations.

Only two deaths were attributed to the storm a 19-year-old mother and her seven-month-old daughter were killed while asleep when a mud slide washed away their home on Moorea during a night of torrential rain 24 hours after the cyclone.

The cost of damage caused by Cyclone Wasa almost equalled the combined official damage estimates following a tropical depression in December 1982 and the first three of an eventual five cyclones during the first four months of

1983. That was French Polynesia’s worst cyclone period in nearly a century.

It appears that the El Nino factors that were blamed for provoking the devastat ing cyclone series in 1982-1983 have once again returned to this part of the Pacific.

Following Cyclone Wasa, French

weather officials hesitated at predicting further storms in coming months, saying only that meteorological conditions were abnormal during the start of Tahiti’s annual rainy season.

Louis Le Pensec, the French govern ment’s minister for overseas departments and territories, arrived in Tahiti on December 15 to tour the most heavily damaged islands right after a similar tour by Territorial Government President

Gaston Flosse and several of his cabinet ministers. A French military cargo plane and military helicopters carried out initial relief efforts to many of the islands.

Territorial Government and private cargo ships continued the effort, carrying emergency relief supplies and reconstruc tion materials.

Speculation is rife that the government will impose a special cyclone tax to help raise further money.

Initial estimates indicated that the two worst hit islands were Bora Bora among the Leeward Islands and Tubuai among the Austral Islands. Several hotels on Bora Bora were badly damaged, which may seriously hurt tourism during the first three to six months of 1992. □

Havoc at home: some lost walls, others lost their roof

Disrupted traffic: Torrential rain flooded roads like this one to the airport