Polynesian island and reef destroyed in a blink.

[Achilles Tang]

Whole villages gone after giant waves crush Polynesian isle

The Polynesian island of Tikopia has been hit by massive 11 metre (36 feet) high waves which appear to have swept away entire villages and completely destroyed the lagoon around the island, experts said.

Cyclone Zoe over the weekend slammed into the Tikopia and Anuta in the Temotu district of the Solomon Islands and although no word has come from them two surveillance flights Wednesday revealed extensive damage.

The islands have a combined population of around 3,000 people.

An anthropologist who lived on Tikopia, Judith Macdonald, said that from the photographs she had seen, entire villages have disappeared.

"In the area where three of the four chiefs lived it's all gone, at least 100 houses," she told AFP.

Macdonald said it was imperative that Hercules aircraft begin airdropping food and added that ships will not be able to get cargo ashore as the lagoon has gone.

An emotional Temotu Premier Gabriel Teao told AFP from the regional capital Lata that he feared many people have been swept away.

"Whole villages have been buried and I am still not sure how many people are dead," he told AFP.

There has been no word from Tikopia or Anuta since the storm and the Solomons government, handicapped by four years of civil war, has been able to provide no help.

Macdonald, an anthropologist at Waikato University, south of Auckland, said the photographs she saw revealed "appalling and horrendous damage".

The photographs show wide sandy beaches around Tikopia but the island does not have beaches normally and Macdonald said she believed the fringing reef had been lifted up into the lagoon that was now full of sand and debris.

A fresh water lake, stocked with fish, had been flooded.

Maddonald said: "It is desperate that we immediately, absolutely immediately, get Hercules (helicopters) to airdrop food and shelter to the people."

She said the people should not be given rice as they normally did not have pots and would not know what to do with it.

The emergency supplies of taro had probably been hit by sea water, the breadfruit trees were smashed and heavy swells would prevent fishing.

"They will have no material for building new houses. This is the worst cyclone that has ever happened in the Solomons."

Gabriel Teao said he was more worried than ever about the fate of his people.

The local parliament had met Tuesday including the new Tikopia representative, Jeffrey Teaeava.

"We had a two minute silence," Teao said. "I really cried."

He said the situation was now worse than he had feared.

"They are used to cyclones and for generation after generation they have been taught what to do when a cyclone strikes," Teao said. "This one was the very worst they have experienced.

"It is very devastating... They really need help, I am really worried."

Teao was frustrated to hear that the Solomons police patrol boat Lata, due to have left Wednesday, would not be coming. The Solomons, blighted by a four-year long civil, lacks resources to arrange help. It is understood a civil inter-island trader, funded by New Zealand, would go instead.

Zoe, which was born on Christmas Day over Tuvalu, swept westward toward Tikopia where it topped the intensity scale for cyclones and stayed over the island for two days.

It then turned south-eastward and was due Thursday to be delisted as a cyclone in waters north of New Zealand.

[Tanzy]

Zoe, ironically, is the Greek word for life.

[robe]

I remembered in the 60's and 70' strong typhoon was in the range of 150-175 kph centre wind. Then in the early 80's after the first big El nino the typhoon winds increased to 200 to 220 Kph and I experienced that as my island was hit by two typhoon weeks after one another. First a 200 kph typhoon hit the SW part and left a wide swath of destruction then around 3 weeks later another one with 220 kph winds hit the NE side of the island. This time you can see ricefields completely flatttened and trees w/out any leaves as well as broken branches and trunks. Bigger ones like acacias are uprooted. Coconut trees are striped of their fronds as well . You can see them leaning to one side in one direction together with the trees.

In the nineties the typhoon are stronger 250-275 kph center winds are recorded for some of them.

Now looks like it has gone up to 320 kph. It seems the weather is getting haywire and storms are getting stronger.

That island was covered with coconuts as well as small trees and now it looks like somebody passed a vacuum cleaner over it.

[Achilles Tang]

In case, you guys don't know, Robe is a Filipino... our pinoy bro!

It must have been terrifying to be hit by such strong winds... I remember once in Singapore, when we had a freak wind storm, if I remember correctly, was in the 80s, the wind was strong enough to slam my home windows with enough force to shatter glass and our HDB flat seem to sway. That was freaky man...

Ahh... momma nature can wipe out in a instant what we take years to build.

[Hon]

Mamma nature...Stay away from Solomon Island, don't destroy our precious coral leh

[Morgan]

I was on a diving holiday in the Mauritus, when typhoon hit the island. You will not believe the destruction until you see it. It is like what robe described.

The whole island turn into one big rubbish dump. What a holiday.

[KingFish]

Back when I was studying in Western Australia, I went down south to Busselton's 2km long jetty for some fishing action.

My pals and I were caught out in a tropical storm for 16 hours, gales raging at well over 150kph, with cold lashing rain and big waves crashing on the jetty scaffoldings.....not at all comforting....

Feel the wrath of Mother Nature in its raw form ....