The United States joint Typhoon Warning Centre has issued a "typhoon formation alert" for the Marshall Islands, saying a tropical typhoon is building between Majuro and Kwajalein, the two most populated atolls in the nation.
The centre has warned boaters of hazardous surf conditions that will coincide with a rising spring tide cycle resulting in coastal inundation of up to two feet along south and west facing shores on Majuro, Jaluit and Mili atolls through Saturday evening.
A tropical depression on Friday had kicked up high winds and surf battering shores around the capital Majuro, while on land the winds tore off some rooves, knocked trees down on roads slowing traffic, and caused a power outage affecting half of the capital.
Our correspondent says fishing vessels and yachts broke away from moorings on Friday yesterday and smashed into jagged reefs, and some newly built portions of homes collapsed, docks washed away, and high volumes of debris washed in from the storm.
Meanwhile, an American yacht owner who has lived on his vessel "Seal" in Majuro for over 15 years said he's had never seen anything quite so ferocious on Friday.
Cary Evarts said the nearly five kilometre long eastern lagoon shoreline of the capital atoll of the Marshall Islands is devastated from the heavy surf, and that several fishing vessels and yachts broke loose from their moorings and either were blown onto reefs or up into people's backyards.
He estimated that 50 percent of the approximately 50 vessels anchored in Majuro's lagoon broke loose or dragged on their moorings.
He said waves in the normally calm lagoon were as high as eight feet, nearly double the worst previous storm he has seen.
A Majuro business' shoreline bar and store is blasted by high waves kicked up by a tropical depression that was building to typhoon strength Friday night in the Marshall Islands. The waves caused major damage to the capital atoll's three-mile downtown lagoon shoreline. Photo: RNZI/Giff Johnson
