RAROTONGA, Cook Islands (8 Feb 2005) -- Tourist accommodation in the Cook Islands escaped unscathed when powerful Cyclone Meena swept past the popular Pacific Islands scuba diving and holiday destination, officials said. Meena, packing winds of up to 245 kilometres-per-hour and whipping up mountainous seas, flooded coastal areas, cut power and brought down trees in the Cook Islands on Monday. But a last minute change of direction kept the cyclone from directly hitting the islands and damage was largely limited to the capital, Avarua, on the main island of Raratonga, Tourism Minister Piho Rua said on New Zealand radio. "Today sunshine is everywhere, there's not a sign of wind, and everything is quiet and people have a look of relief on their faces that everything is over. We hope," Mr Rua said. "Everything is back to normal and there's no hotel, motel or any of the tourist accommodation been affected at all," he said, adding that power, telecommunication and air travel were back to normal. Mr Rua said it would take only three or four days to clean up most of the damage and about three months to fully rebuild structures smashed by pounding waves, including the celebrity tourist bar Trader Jack's. | | Tourism is the mainstay of the economy in the Cook Islands, which is made up of 15 small islands spread over an area greater than the size of India and has a population of around 21,000. SOURCE - AFP |
