MSGID: 1:317/3 64038727   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   March 4, 2023 - Tropical Cyclone Kevin Batters Beleaguered Vanuatu   
      
      Kevin   
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      It’s been a tough few days for Vanuatu. Between February 27 and March   
      3, 2023, the beautiful South Pacific island nation has been battered by   
      two severe tropical cyclones and two earthquakes. The situation was   
      summed up by Port Vila-based journalist Dan McGarry, who tweeted on   
      March 3, “Port Vila has properly woken up now’. That was followed by a   
      quick situation summary, “Fuel is in short supply, power is out   
      everywhere, and a boil-water order is in effect.” The government of   
      Vanuatu declared a State of Emergency on March 2.   
      
      On February 27, Tropical Cyclone Judy was closing in on the northern   
      islands of Vanuatu, carrying maximum sustained winds of about 75 mph   
      (120 km/h). Unfortunately, it was intensifying. As the storm’s center   
      passed only 4.4 miles (7 km) east of the small island of Port Vila, the   
      location of the country’s capital, maximum sustained winds were 97.5   
      mph (157 km/h). That is the equivalent of a Category 2 storm on the   
      Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. On March 1, as it made landfall on   
      Tanna Island in southern Vanuatu, Tropical Cyclone Judy had reached   
      peak strength as a Category 3 storm, with maximum sustained winds of   
      120 mph (193 km/h).   
      
      Less than 24 hours after Judy pulled away from Vanuatu, her big brother   
      came calling. Tropical Cyclone Kevin slammed across the country as an   
      even more powerful storm. As Kevin passed by Port Vila, maximum   
      sustained winds were estimated at about 110 mph (177 km/h), or a strong   
      Category 2 storm, but it was strengthening. As Kevin passed near Tanna   
      Island, maximum sustained winds reached about 120 mph (193 km/h). At   
      0300 UTC on March 4 (10:00 p.m. EST on March 3), the Joint Typhoon   
      Warning Center (JTWC) advised that Tropical Storm Kevin’s maximum   
      sustained winds reached 150 mph (241 km/h), or a strong Category 4   
      storm. At that time, Kevin was pulling away from Vanuatu.   
      
      Meanwhile, while the citizens were taking cover from severe winds in   
      their homes or in shelters, two earthquakes shook the country. A   
      magnitude 6.5 quake struck 56 miles (90 km) from Luganville on the   
      island of Espiritu Santo on March 2. Only an hour and a half later, a   
      5.4 magnitude earthquake struck 71 miles (114 km) away from that city.   
      
      No casualties have been reported from the quakes on Espiritu Santo, but   
      the situation on outlying islands still remains unclear. Damage   
      assessment from the dual hurricanes has just begun, with various   
      reports of widespread damage including flooding, damaged or “flattened”   
      buildings, and power outages. The Vanuatu Red Cross Secretary was   
      quoted as saying on March 3, “We are still trying to establish   
      communication with our branch in Tanna. We still have not heard   
      anything since Cyclone Judy hit.” Tanna Island in the province of Tafea   
      is expected to be the region worst affected by the hurricanes.   
      
      The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board   
      NASA’s Terra satellite acquired at true-color image of Tropical Cyclone   
      Kevin on March 2. Near the time the image was acquired, maximum   
      sustained winds were estimated at about 70 mph (113 km/h), placing it   
      at just under tropical storm strength. Rain bands reach over the   
      Solomon Islands (north) while the islands of Vanuatu sit in the   
      southeast, directly in the path of the rapidly strengthening storm.   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:  Terra   
      Date Acquired: 3/2/2023   
      Resolutions:  1km (436.4 KB),  500m (1.3 MB),  250m (3.7 MB)   
      Bands Used: 1,4,3   
      Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC   
      
      
      
   https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2023-03-04   
       
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