The cyclon­e has alread­y create­d havoc in neighb­ouring Samoa, threat­ening to become supers­torm as it approa­ches TongaNUKU'ALOFA, TONGA: Tonga declared a state of emergency Monday and imposed a curfew in the capital Nuku’alofa as the Pacific island kingdom braced for a direct hit from Severe Tropical Cyclone Gita. The cyclone has already created havoc in neighbouring Samoa and is threatening to become a Category Five superstorm as it approaches Tonga. The Fiji Meteorological Service predicts Gita will become a Category Five storm – the top of the scale – before reaching Tonga Monday night. “We are urging people to seek refuge from this severe cyclone that could be the most powerful in the country’s history,” said police commissioner Stephen Caldwell. Another Category Five storm, Cyclone Ian, hit Tonga’s sparsely-populated Ha’apai islands in 2014, causing extensive damage and leaving thousands homeless.

Source: The Express Tribune February 12, 2018 07:41 UTC