More than 800 homes have been destroyed or flooded in French Polynesia after the weekend's severe storms.

Photo: Supplied/ Présidence de la Polynésie française

Authorities said at least four people were injured, 4000 people have been affected and that at least five bridges had been destroyed.

Work was underway, yesterday, on Tahiti to move tons of mud brought in by the floods.

A state of natural disaster was declared after the weekend rain.

Overseas Minister Ericka Bareigts released emergency aid to the territory of $US215,000.

Photo: Supplied/ Présidence de la Polynésie française

258 homes were still without electricity yesterday afternoon.

Earlier this week, French Polynesia's international airport was closed for more than 24 hours due to flooding. </s> The French Polynesia High Commission said three people were injured, one seriously, while more than 100 homes were destroyed. Major roads were damaged by landslides.

The floods were most severe on the islands of Tahiti and Moorea.

An Air France flight was diverted to the Cook Islands because the runway was flooded, and international flights were canceled.

"The weather forecast predicts rain until Tuesday," Frederic Poisot, cabinet director of the French Polynesia Haut Commissariat told Reuters, adding authorities had not decided when to re-open the airport.

Poisot said more than 6,000 households had been without electricity, although power now been restored to most of them.

He said the army was helping clear roads and repair damaged facilities.

Tahiti is the largest island in French Polynesia with a population of around 276,000 and 180,000 tourist arrivals a year. </s> French media reports at least four injured and 20,000 residences without power in the wake of Cyclone Cook making landfall in New Caledonia. Cyclonic winds and heavy rain buffeted the French island territory in the South Pacific on Monday, prompting residents to seek shelter and halt mining of nickel, its most important export.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Manawatu Evening Standard. </s> Residents of Vanuatu are taking shelter as a category four cyclone brings heavy rain and strong winds to the same area devastated by the largest cyclone in the South Pacific island nation’s history last year, aid workers said on Sunday. Disaster management authorities have issued a red alert for islands in Tafea, the southernmost of Vanuatu's six provinces, a spokesman of CARE Australia told Reuters.

"Most people are sheltering in schools and churches, the only permanent buildings on these islands," Sam Bolitho said. "Some people are also sheltering in caves."

The eye of the storm, Ula, is not expected to pass over any islands but the ring of the cyclone was causing damage, Bolitho said in an email.

Islanders are bracing for winds expected to reach up to 165 kmph (100 mph), besides flash flooding, landslides and storm surges. Last March, tropical cyclone Pam, a category 5 storm, the highest classification, wiped out more than 90 percent of Vanuatu's crops, tore up homes and power networks, killed 11 and disrupted the lives of most of its 252,800 people.

"This time, people are taking every possible precaution," said Inga Mepham, CARE's Vanuatu program director, adding that the aid agency was working with disaster authorities to spread the latest weather information and take precautionary measures. </s> SYDNEY/WELLINGTON, April 11 (Reuters) - A powerful cyclone that hit New Caledonia late on Monday and shuttered nickel operations has moved offshore, allowing authorities to lift warnings on the French South Pacific territory.

Four people received minor injuries in the storm and a search is being conducted for two missing people, New Caledonia's Civil Defence and Risk Management agency said in a statement.

Resident Gael Toukio said electricity and telephone services had been cut.

"Every gust of wind made my house tremble," Toukio told Reuters by text message from the capital city of Noumea.

The main island was hit by winds of up to 180 km per hour (111.8 mph) and more than 400mm (15.75 inches) of rain on Monday, the meteorological service said in a statement, in conditions that saw roads blocked by uprooted coconut trees and a halt of the country's large nickel mining industry.

The bureau lifted a general warning on Tuesday, while the Civil Defence agency said around 70,000 people were without electricity.

Vale suspended nickel operations and evacuated staff on Monday. It is restarting on Tuesday, a spokesman said.

The New Caledonia weather bureau said the weather system - which peaked at a category-three event - has since weakened and is expected to track towards New Zealand over the next few days. </s> A powerful cyclone that hit New Caledonia late on Monday has moved offshore, allowing authorities to lift warnings on the French South Pacific territory.

Four people received minor injuries in the storm and a search is being conducted for missing people, New Caledonia's Civil Defence and Risk Management agency said in a statement. According to Radio NZ, a 73-year-old has been found dead.

Resident Gael Toukio said electricity and telephone services had been cut as Cyclone Cook came ashore.

1NEWS Cyclone Cook is now expected to pass near New Zealand, bringing further rain and wind on Friday.

"Every gust of wind made my house tremble," Toukio said by text message from the capital city of Noumea.

The main island was hit by winds of up to 180kmh and more than 400mm of rain on Monday, the meteorological service said in a statement.

At least 4 injured as Tropical Cyclone Cook makes landfall on the main island of New Caledonia. https://t.co/pvLxG1lc8b pic.twitter.com/fLqY5moKIL — The Weather Network (@weathernetwork) April 10, 2017

READ MORE:

* Getting ready for Cook

​*Tropical Cyclone Cook set to hit Pacific Islands, NZ could be next

* Cyclone Cook set to hammer Pacific, could bring further floods to NZ

Roads were blocked by uprooted coconut trees and conditions brought a halt to the country's large nickel mining industry.

The bureau lifted a general warning on Tuesday, while the Civil Defence agency said around 70,000 people were without electricity.

Vale suspended nickel operations and evacuated staff on Monday. It is restarting on Tuesday, a spokesman said.

The New Caledonia weather bureau said the weather system - which peaked at a category-three event - has since weakened.

TVNZ reported that a New Zealander was stranded in New Caledonia after an Air New Zealand flight was cancelled.

An Air Calin flight from Noumea due to arrive in Auckland at 12.35pm on Tuesday and the return flight, due to depart at 2.30pm, werecancelled.

Cook hit the main island at almost the same time as high tide, with floods, and waves as tall as 10 metres forecast by weather authorities.

"The threat to New Caledonia is very serious," the meteorological service said in a cyclone alert.

#cycloneCook Alerte 2 sur l'ensemble de la Nouvelle Calédonie. Interdiction absolue de circuler à pied ou en voiture. pic.twitter.com/RSSV8VHGK0 — NC 1ère (@nc1ere) April 10, 2017

The storm hit land late on Monday afternoon as a Category Three storm, said Virgil Cavarero, a forecaster at Meteo New Caledonia, below the destructive Category 4 predicted earlier, which would have been a level off the most dangerous wind speed.

Eyes now turn to New Zealand as the tracking system could bring heavy rain, high surf and gusty winds later in the week, along with renewed flooding concerns following the aftermath of Cyclone Debbie last week.

The North Island's flood-stricken regions were bracing for heavy rain thanks to a low from the Tasman Sea, and the tropical cyclone could make matters worse.

MetService meteorologist Lisa Murray said Tropical Cyclone Cook could affect New Zealand later in the week adding to the low that will move across the country from Tuesday.

Cook developed into a tropical cyclone while crossing the islands of southern Vanuatu on Saturday.

#CycloneCook has made landfall to over the New Caledonia in the South Pacific with 100mph as a cat 2 hurricane pic.twitter.com/BJaEZKzMoj — Joint Cyclone Center (@JointCyclone) April 10, 2017

- Audio thanks to Radio New Zealand </s> SYDNEY/WELLINGTON: A powerful cyclone that hit New Caledonia late on Monday and shuttered nickel operations has moved offshore, allowing authorities to lift warnings on the French South Pacific territory.

Four people received minor injuries in the storm and a search is being conducted for two missing people, New Caledonia's Civil Defence and Risk Management agency said in a statement.

Resident Gael Toukio said electricity and telephone services had been cut.

"Every gust of wind made my house tremble," Toukio told Reuters by text message from the capital city of Noumea.

The main island was hit by winds of up to 180 km per hour (111.8 mph) and more than 400mm (15.75 inches) of rain on Monday, the meteorological service said in a statement, in conditions that saw roads blocked by uprooted coconut trees and a halt of the country's large nickel mining industry.

The bureau lifted a general warning on Tuesday, while the Civil Defence agency said around 70,000 people were without electricity.

Vale suspended nickel operations and evacuated staff on Monday. It is restarting on Tuesday, a spokesman said.

The New Caledonia weather bureau said the weather system - which peaked at a category-three event - has since weakened and is expected to track towards New Zealand over the next few days. </s> Vanuatu faces yet another destructive storm, after the previous devastation brought about by Cyclone Pam. — Reuters picWELLINGTON, May 6 — The South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu began assessing the damage today after being pounded by destructive winds from Cyclone Donna which brought down houses and buildings.

The storm was upgraded late in the day to a category four severe tropical cyclone by the Vanuatu Meteorological Service which warned “damaging gale to destructive storm force winds” would continue to hit Torba province.

The eye of the cyclone veered away from Vanuatu before making landfall but Disaster Management Office director Shadrack Welegtabit said winds in excess of 200 kilometres per hour wreaked havoc in outlying islands.

“The cyclone has passed through and we have now started our response, doing an assessment of the damage and what people need,” he told AFP.

“It did not make landfall but the gale force winds affected some islands. There was damage to houses and buildings but we haven’t had any reports of injuries.”

A curfew was imposed in many of the populated islands on Friday with residents taking shelter in caves and evacuation centres until the storm passed.

Corrine Ambler from the Red Cross told Radio New Zealand they had made radio contact with Torres Islands in Torba where houses were destroyed.

“There’s about 1,000 in the affected area and I understand that almost 200 people are taking shelter in a cave in one of the islands,” she said.

Although Donna was tracking westwards towards New Caledonia said, the Meteorological Service said it would continue to impact on Vanuatu for another 24 hours.

“Heavy rainfall and flash flooding is also expected,” it said in an advisory to the small nation of about 260,000 people.

In 2015, when Cyclone Pam slammed into Vanuatu, 11 people were killed and more than 65,000 homes were damaged or destroyed affecting about 70 per cent of the population. — AFP </s> NUKN'ALOFA (TONGA): Tonga declared a state of emergency Monday as a powerful cyclone bears down on the Pacific island nation after wreaking havoc in neighbouring Samoa.

Acting Prime Minister Semisi Sika issued the nationwide alert, saying he was "satisfied that an emergency is happening or is about to happen in the kingdom".

Severe Tropical Cyclone Gita is intensifying as it approaches and the Fiji Meteorological Service predicted it will become a maximum category five storm before reaching Tonga on Monday night.

It is already packing wind gusts of 220 kmh (137 mph) as it gathers strength some 370 kilometres east of Tonga's most populous island Tongatapu.

Gita slammed into Samoa overnight Friday, forcing the evacuation of some 200 people and causing widespread flooding, leaving many without power and electricity.

Tonga's information ministry said evacuation centres were being prepared across the kingdom and advised residents to avoid unnecessary travel.

"Every family should have an emergency kit packed in their homes," it said.

"Everyone should be mindful of what might cause damage within their homes such as large trees that can potentially damage a house."

Cyclones are common in the Pacific at this time of year, with top-of-the-scale category five systems proving highly destructive when they make landfall.

Cyclone Winston killed 44 people in Fiji in 2016 and Cyclone Pam claimed 11 lives and damaged 65,000 homes in Vanuatu in 2015.
Over 800 homes are destroyed or flooded in Tahiti, French Polynesia, following severe storms over the weekend, with at least 4,000 people affected.