Cook Islands cyclone weakens

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STORM DAMAGE: Cyclone Pat caused major damage to the Cook Islands atoll of Aitutaki.

STORM DAMAGE: Cyclone Pat caused major damage to the Cook Islands atoll of Aitutaki.

STORM DAMAGE: Cyclone Pat caused major damage to the Cook Islands atoll of Aitutaki.

STORM DAMAGE: Cyclone Pat caused major damage to the Cook Islands atoll of Aitutaki.

STORM DAMAGE: Cyclone Pat caused major damage to the Cook Islands atoll of Aitutaki.

STORM DAMAGE: Cyclone Pat caused major damage to the Cook Islands atoll of Aitutaki.

STORM DAMAGE: Cyclone Pat caused major damage to the Cook Islands atoll of Aitutaki.

STORM DAMAGE: Cyclone Pat caused major damage to the Cook Islands atoll of Aitutaki.

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Tropical cyclone thrashes Cook Islands

Aitutaki, Cook Islands

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Gale warnings have been lifted for the Cook Islands as a cyclone weakens after hiting the islands this morning causing devastating damage.

The Fiji Meteorological Service said this evening it had cancelled the gale warnings for Rarotonga, Aitutaki and nearby smaller islands.

Tropical Cyclone Pat was weakening rapidly and moving further away from the southern Cooks, it said.

Rain and winds, gusting up to 35 knots but gradually easing, were still expected in the area.

The cyclone hit the island of Aitutaki early this morning with winds of 75 knots, gusting to 100 knots.

The prime minister declared a state of disaster for Aitutaki and Rarotonga, though the cyclone was expected to miss Rarotonga.

The New Zealand Red Cross said up to 90 percent of houses on Aitutaki were reported to be severely damaged.

Phones, roads, electricity and air transport had all been disrupted.

The organisation had already sent relief items including tarpaulins, satellite phones, candles, first aid kits and raincoats and had aid workers on standby to fly to the Cook Islands.

The Red Cross was raising funds for the Cook Islands and people could donate on its website, at Red Cross offices or by mailing cheques.

It said people had offered different types of assistance, but it could only accept money as voluntary assistance, clothes or goods were not immediately helpful in this situation.

An Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) spokesman said on Aitutaki the villages Amuri and Arutanga, with a combined population of 400, on the northern side of the island were the worst hit.

So far only two people had been reported as injured and both were in a stable condition.

An NZAID spokesman said the islands had good emergency warning systems and people had time to head for shelters before the cyclone struck.

Cook Islands Tourism's New Zealand manager Chris Ingram said the island's resort hotels had sustained only minor damage as they were built to withstand the cyclone season, although guests appeared shaken.

"The fact it hit in the early hours of the morning when it was dark would certainly have intensified the experience. Guests and locals were moved to safety centres on the island and this no doubt contributed to the fact there were no casualties or injuries."

Power remained off this afternoon, but some communications had been restored and the airport on Aitutaki was now open.

A decision on New Zealand's response to the disaster has not yet been made; a spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said the Government was waiting for conditions to clear so a plane could fly over the area to assess the situation.

"We are currently on stand-by and waiting for requests for assistance," he said.

A Royal New Zealand Air Force spokesman said crews and planes were ready to go and were awaiting the green light.

* Do you know anyone affected by the cyclone? Email editorial@stuff.co.nz

- NZPA