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The Air Force is on standby after Cyclone Pat tore through parts of the Cook Islands yesterday.
A state of disaster has been declared on the island of Aitutaki, where the category-three cyclone passed through early in the day, damaging houses, felling trees and knocking out power and communications.
Despite the storm's ferocity, there have been no reports of casualties or serious injuries.
A spokesman for the New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAid) said the islands had good emergency warning systems and people had time to head for shelters before the cyclone struck.
The New Zealand manager for Cook Islands Tourism, Chris Ingram, said about 60 per cent of the houses on Aitutaki had been damaged.
The island's resort hotels fared better as they were built to withstand the cyclone season, although guests appeared shaken, Mr Ingram said.
"The fact it hit in the early hours of the morning when it was dark would certainly have intensified the experience. Guests and locals were moved to safety centres on the island and this no doubt contributed to the fact there were no casualties or injuries."
Power remained off late yesterday, but some communications had been restored and the airport on Aitutaki had reopened.
Weather Watch head analyst Philip Duncan said the cyclone was dying down as it travelled, but would still cause huge waves when it reached Rarotonga, where a state of emergency was declared.
In Wellington, a spokesman for Foreign Minister Murray McCully said the NZ Government was waiting for conditions to clear so a plane could fly over the area to assess the situation.
"We are currently on stand-by and waiting for requests for assistance."
- NZPA
