User:Jason Rees/Hina

Severe Tropical Cyclone Hina was one of the most intense tropical cyclones to affect Fiji on record

Meteorological history
During March 10, a small area of atmospheric convection appeared along with a weak circulation, over the Fijian island of Vanua Levu and was classified as a shallow tropical depression by the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS). Over the next couple of days, the system emerged into the Pacific Ocean where it moved westwards towards Vanuatu and gradually developed further, with the depression's cloud pattern becoming more prominent and organized. During March 12, the system started to move towards the west-northwest, before it passed through the Penama, Sanama and Torba provinces in northern Vanuatu. The depression subsequently started to show signs of a "tighter cyclonic curvature" in the lower atmosphere and was located within a favourable upper-level environment for further development. As a result, the FMS declared that the system had developed into a tropical cyclone and named it Hina, after it had become a category 1 tropical cyclone on the modern-day Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale.

During March 17, Hina started to weaken as it accelerated south-eastwards, towards an area of cooler waters and stronger vertical wind shear. As a result, it lost its tropical cyclone characteristics, before it was last noted during March 20, while it was located over 1900 km to the southeast of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands.

Reanalysis efforts
Karl Hoarau, Ludovic Chalonge, Florence Pirard and Daniel Peyrusaubes reanalysed Hina, within a study into Extreme tropical cyclone activities in the southern Pacific Ocean that was published in the Royal Meteorological Society's International Journal of Climatology. They found that the systems intensity had been underestimated and estimated that the system had peaked on January 16, with 1-minute sustained winds of 170 kn.

Preparations and impacts
Severe Tropical Cyclone Hina impacted the island nations of Fiji, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands, before it moved south-eastwards and passed over 800 km to the northeast of New Zealand.

Vanuatu
During its early stages of development, Hina became the fifth tropical cyclone to affect Vanuatu during the season, after Eric, Nigel, Odette and Gavin had previously impacted the island nation. Overall, the system only caused minor damage to the island nation, with a maximum wind of 59 km/h reported in Santo.

Solomon Islands
After impacting Vanuatu, Hina posed a threat to the eastern Solomon Islands between March 14 - 16, which prompted the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) to pass some information about the system, to the Meteorological Office in Honiara. After considering the threat to the eastern Solomon Islands posed by the system, the officer in charge asked the FMS, to issue bulletins for the island nation on a regular basis. The FMS subsequently issued their first bulletin on March 14, which contained a storm warning for the Santa Cruz Islands and a gale warning for the Duff Islands. After the system had intensified into a severe tropical cyclone later that day, hurricane warnings were issued for Vanikoro, Utupua, Tikopia, Anuta and Fatutaka. These warnings were gradually revised and eventually cancelled, after Hina had passed near or over Tikopia and the threat from the system to the Solomon Islands diminished during March 15.

As a result of poor communications and the remoteness of the islands, the Solomon Islands Government did not receive a damage assessment from the area until April 9, after the National Disaster Council had conducted a damage survey of the islands. Overall there were no casualties reported within the Solomon Islands, while severe damage was reported within the eastern Solomon Islands of Utupua, Vanikoro and Tikopia. The island of Tikopia was the worst affected island, with a significant storm surge experienced on the island, as the system passed near or over the island at around 20:00 local time (08:00 UTC) on March 15. As a result, severe damage was recorded on the island with 131 houses destroyed, 18 classrooms damaged and the four walls of its local clinic washed away. Several other structures on the island sustained severe damage, while food gardens were either partially or completely destroyed by the surge and fallen trees. The Santa Cruz islands of Vanikoro and Utupia also suffered some damage but it as

After the assessment was received by the Government; Vanikoro, Utupia and Tikopia were declared disaster areas, while the diplomatic community were asked for financial and material assistance. The United States Ambassador to the Solomon Islands: Paul Gardner, determined that Hina's impacts in the Solomon Islands was beyond the ability of the Government to address adequately. As a result, he determined that the disaster warranted assistance from the United States Government and donated $2220 to the governments emergency relief fund. Australia, China and the United Kingdom each donated $2152, while Japan also donated an unspecified amount of assistance to the emergency relief fund. The aid was subsequently used by the government to get food and other relief supplies for the islands until gardens and distribution systems were re-established during October 1985.

Fiji
As the threat to the Solomon Islands diminished during March 15, the FMS issued a tropical cyclone alert for the whole of Fiji, as Hina was located about 930 km to the northwest of the island nation. A hurricane warning was subsequently issued during the next day, with northern Viti Levu, western Vanua Levu and the Yasawa and Mamanuca island group, expected to experience either storm or hurricane-force winds.

Over the next couple of days the warnings were gradually revised, as the threat to Fiji diminished and Hina took a more southerly track than originally expected. As strong winds and flooding impacted the island nation, people evacuated from their homes and took refuge in evacuation centres.

The system was the fourth tropical cyclone to impact Fiji during the season and the second in two weeks, after Eric, Nigel and Gavin had previously impacted the island nation. As a result, public awareness of the cyclone was very high and was thought to have contributed to the low fatality and injury count.

Aftermath
During March 18, the United States Ambassador to Fiji: Carl Edward Dillery, determined that Hina's impacts in the island nation were beyond the ability of the Fijian Government to address adequately. However, "he did not exercise his disaster assistance authority", but instead honoured a request from the Fijian government for 200 rolls of plastic sheeting. The aid subsequently arrived on Fiji during March 25, and was mainly required to keep schools in the Western Division usable, as they were restored to their former condition.