5 Jan 2004

Cyclone Heta sees telephone lines in Samoa cut

4:35 pm on 5 January 2004

The Cyclone Heta hurricane warning remains in force in Samoa, with landlines the only mode of communication.

But Samoa Tel says landline telephones will be severly cut and their satellite dish removed, if cyclone winds reach 90 miles per hour.

There is currently no telecommunications service to the Siumu District, and parts of Savaii are already cut.

Cyclone Heta is expected to bring in gusts of up to 105 miles per hour in Upolu tonight with hurricane winds in the southern coastal areas as it moves southeast.

Samoa's National Diaster Committee are still meeting to coordinate a response to the cyclone predicted to strike in full force tonight.