13 May 2017

Futuna on lockdown for third day as Cyclone Ella lingers

2:48 pm on 13 May 2017
The forecast trajectory of Cyclone Ella on Saturday afternoon as it slowly leaves Futuna.

The forecast trajectory of Cyclone Ella on Saturday afternoon as it slowly leaves Futuna. Photo: Meteo France

The French Pacific island of Futuna is still on lockdown as Cyclone Ella slowly passes the territory.

Authorities on the island have maintained the highest level 2 alert, which orders residents to stay indoors and bans all movement.

The cyclone, a category two, was about 90km off the island's northern coast at midday, with winds gusting as high as 150km/h at its centre.

Waves as high as 7 metres have been generated by the slow moving cyclone, which has been on maximum alert since Thursday evening.

Wallis and Futuna's public broadcaster reported that power was cut, roofs were damaged and some are flooded, but there was so far no major damage.

The cyclone was forecast to slowly move west away from the island over the next day, maintaining its category two strength.

Meanwhile, Fiji's Meteorological Service cancelled cyclone alerts for the country on Saturday, saying the threat had passed.