A state of emergency has been declared in part of the Cook Islands after Cyclone Percy slammed into the region leaving only 10 houses intact in an area home to more than 600 people, authorities said on Tuesday. A spokesperson said all houses on Nassau were "severely damaged or destroyed".
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/ 16 February 2005
Samoa appeared to escape the worst of Cyclone Olaf on Wednesday but a top official said it is expected to intensify and approach "super-cyclone" status as it bears down on neighbouring American Samoa and the Cook Islands. Olaf lashed Savai’i, the main island of Samoa, with winds of more than 200kph.