Cyclone Percy strikes Palmerston in southern Cook Islands

Palmerston in the southern Cook Islands is the latest island to bear the brunt of Cyclone Percy as it cuts a path through the Pacific, leaving a trail of damage in its wake.

Percy was this morning 177km west of Palmerston and heading on a southeasterly course, Superintendent Tai Isamaela, officer in charge of the Cook Islands national emergency operation centre told NZPA.

Palmerston residents were sheltering indoors as winds of almost 100km/h, gusting up to 150km/h, battered the island.

"There is moderate to heavy rain, very rough seas and heavy swells at the same time, and wave reach is about 30 metres inland," Mr Isamaela said.

Palmerston had a population of about 50.

"So far there is no injury to people there. They have been well prepared for this," he said.

Damage was harder to assess as nobody was out in the open at the moment, he said.

"There does not seem to be any broken trees or things like that in the meantime. But they haven't gone out -- everybody is indoors just to make sure that no-one is hit by flying objects or things like that," he said.

Damage would be assessed when people ventured out later today, "once things cool down a bit."

Palmerston would feel the effects of Percy for the next eight to twelve hours as far as wind and sea surge were concerned, Mr Isamaela said.

If Percy maintained its southerly course it would be 241km from Rarotonga at its closest point of approach, he said.

"But if she moves on a more southeasterly course, she will be moving closer to Rarotonga.

"We'll probably start getting the wind effect sometime later this afternoon and through the night," he said.

Yesterday Percy s truck the northern Cook Islands, leaving a trail of destroyed houses, roofs and crops.

In the northern islands of Pukapuka and Nassau, home to 670 people, just 10 buildings were left intact after the cyclone.

Yesterday Pukapuka islanders were clearing their airstrip to allow planes with relief supplies in.

As the airstrip could only take planes eight seats and smaller, relief supplies flown in by the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) Hercules yesterday would still have to be transported by ship -- a 1-1/2 day trip from Penrhyn.

An RNZAF Orion flew over Nassau yesterday surveying the damage.

The crew on board the Orion observed significant damage to most of the structures on the island and estimated most, if not all, thatched structures were destroyed, the air force said in a statement.

The crew also estimated 90 per cent of the modern structures on the island had been damaged.

Rarotonga was now preparing for Percy's arrival, with government departments closing down today.

Many tourists were on Rarotonga and all were being kept informed by their hotels.

Cyclone Percy comes just weeks after tropical cyclones Meena, Nancy and Olaf hit the region.

- NZPA