Cyclone hits American Samoa, but Samoa largely unscathed 

Cyclone Olaf was over eastern American Samoa this morning, latest reports said.

The Fiji Meteorological Service's tropical cyclone centre is predicting "very destructive hurricane force winds" over the next six to 12 hours.

There is expected to be frequent, heavy rain and squally thunderstorms with "phenomenal" seas, damaging heavy swells and flooding, including sea flooding of low-lying coastal areas.

The cyclone has left Samoa mostly unscathed and conditions on the Samoan islands of Savaii and Upolu should start to ease during the day, it said.

Calls to the New Zealand High Commission in Samoa's capital Apia this morning were met by the message that it was closed until further notice in preparation for the cyclone.

The message recommended that all New Zealanders in Samoa should move to higher ground because of the extreme high sea conditions predicted.

Speaking to NZPA from his home in Apia, High Commissioner John Adank, who is also Consul-General to American Samoa, said Cyclone Olaf had largely passed north of Samoa and the main American Samoan islands of Manua.

"Samoa's been very, very lucky with the track the cyclone took yesterday," he said.

"Overnight we had some gusts of high winds and tree branches have been coming down, but no trees that I've seen so far, large trees, as you would normally expect.

"Effectively, the country seems to have got through without terribly much damage," Mr Adank said.

"In saying that I think it's also very likely that in the low-lying parts of the coast, as there was torrential rain last night, there would be flooding and some of those communities would have evacuated."

There were no reports of injuries.

- HERALD STAFF, NZPA