Two tropical cyclones are bearing down on three South Pacific island nations creating a “critically dangerous situation,” Australian disaster officials said on Tuesday.
Cyclone Olaf, heading towards Samoa and American Samoa, is forecast to intensify to a top category 5 storm by the time it reaches the islands in 12 to 36 hours, said the Australian-Pacific Center for Emergency and Disaster Information.
Olaf could hit the islands with destructive winds gusting to 135 miles per hour, huge seas and possible flooding from heavy rain, said the center on its Web site.
Cyclone Nancy is forecast to reach a category 4 storm in the next 24 hours as it heads towards the Cook Islands, already battered by Cyclone Meena on Feb. 7.
“This is a critically dangerous situation for Samoa, American Samoa and the southern Cooks,” the center said.
It said tropical cyclone warnings and watches had been issued for a total of seven island nations as the two storms track southeast across the South Pacific.
