MELBOURNE, April 7 (Xinhua) –Authorities in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the Solomon Islands have issued warnings over a Category 3 cyclone that is expected to bring heavy rainfall and flooding.
The PNG National Weather Service said in an emergency warning for the eastern Milne Bay Province on Tuesday morning that Tropical Cyclone Maila will cause very heavy rain and flooding, coastal inundation and gale force winds. It said that people in the region, particularly residents of islands in the Solomon Sea, should seek higher ground and stay away from the coast.
“Take immediate precautions to protect life and property,” it said.
The Solomon Islands Meteorological Service said that Tropical Cyclone Maila was growing in strength while moving slowly east-northeast towards the country’s Western Province islands in the Solomon Sea.
Islands in the Western Province have been warned to prepare for gale-force winds, coastal flooding and widespread heavy rain and thunderstorms.
Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology has declared the system a severe tropical cyclone and said on Tuesday that it could hit the Australian mainland later in the week.
–NNN-Xinhua