Cook Islands and Tokelau: UN sends emergency team to Oceania

New York, 2 March 2005 - The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is sending two emergency teams, one to the Cook Islands and one to Tokelau, to help assess the situation after Tropical Cyclone Percy.
On 26 February, the cyclone pounded Tokelau with winds from 178 to 249 kilometres per hour, causing widespread damage to the three atolls: Atafu (population 500 - 600), Nukunonu (population 400 - 450) and Fakaofo (population 500). Tokelau consists of a group of three atolls in the South Pacific, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand.

The cyclone also moved through American Samoa and passed the northern part of the Cook Islands, causing widespread damage to Pukapuka (population 600) and Nassau (population 70) on 28 February. On Pukapuka, only ten houses weathered the storm intact, and all the rest were severely damaged or destroyed. On Nassau, all houses are reportedly severely damaged or destroyed. The Government has declared a state of emergency for the two islands. Percy is the fourth cyclone to hit the Cook Islands this year after cyclones Meena, Nancy and Olaf.

According to the Australian-Pacific Centre for Emergency and Disaster Information (APCEDI), Cyclone Percy has turned to the south and is heading south towards Palmerston Atoll (population 50) in the Cook Islands.

The United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) teams will help assess damages and needs.

For further information, please call:

Stephanie Bunker, OCHA NY, 917 367 5126, mobile 917 892 1679;
Elizabeth Byrs, OCHA Geneva, 41 22 917 2653, mobile 41(0) 79 473 4570.