User:Jason Rees/Zuman

Tropical Cyclone Zuman was the fourteenth named storm of the 1997-98 South Pacific cyclone season. It was first noted as a tropical disturbance during March 28 and gradually developed further over the next day, before it was named Zuman during March 30.

Meteorological history
During March 29, the Fiji Meteorological Service reported that a tropical depression, had developed within an area of warm sea surface temperatures and weakening vertical windshear about 550 km to the northeast of Port Vila, Vanuatu. During that day, the system was slowly steered westwards towards Vanuatu,, by an upper-level ridge of high pressure located to the south of the system. Atmospheric convection had also started to develop over the systems low level circulation center, while an upper-level anticyclone had developed over the disturbance. During the following day, the United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center initiated advisories on the system and designated it as Tropical Cyclone 31P, before it was named Zuman by the FMS after it had developed into a Category 1 tropical cyclone on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale.

During March 29, the United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) issued a tropical cyclone formation alert, on a tropical disturbance that they had been monitoring for around a day to the northwest of Fiji.

The system subsquently continued to develop during the next day and

Zuman struck the island of Espiritu Santo with winds of 90 mph (145 km/h). Nothing changed as the month of April opened as Zuman stayed at about 90 mph (145 km/h). On April 3, Zuman reached its peak pressure of 955 millibars. Zuman drifted to the south and then to the southeast. Zuman was slowly weakening due to wind shear. Zuman hugged the entire eastern coast of New Caledonia on April 5. The system was last noted to the east of New Zealand's South Island on April 10.

Preparations, impact, and aftermath
Zuman impacted parts of the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and New Zealand, less than a fortnight after Cyclone Yali had impacted the region. However, there was no damage reported in New Zealand, while Vanuatu incurred over $6 million (1998 USD) in damages.

Zuman was responsible caused over US$6 million in damages and

The system affected the Northern and Central Vanuatu Islands during March and April 1998 and was the fourth tropical cyclone to affect the island nation during the season, after Severe Tropical Cyclone's Susan, Katrina and Yali. The island nation was already suffering from the impacts of a drought, which had been caused by a lack of rainfall and the 1997-98 El Nino episode. By March 31, various alerts and warnings had been issued for the Solomon Islands Santa Cruz Province and the Northern Vanuatu islands including red, yellow and blue alerts, gale force and strong wind warnings. All schools were subsequently closed and ships were ordered to seek safe refuge. During April 1, the system brought heavy rain and destructive winds to Northern and Central Vanuatu and made landfall on Espirtu Santo, around a week after Yali had affected Southern Vanuatu. Extensive damage was subsequently reported to fruit trees and crops in Northern Vanuatu, with northeastern and eastern Espiritu Santo worst affected. On Espiritu Santo severe flooding was reported on the east coast, with the towns of Luganville and Port Olry badly affected by the cyclone.

Within the islands houses, bridges, food crops and public buildings were damaged, while communications with other islands were difficult. Within Hog Harbour all semi-permanent houses were partly or completely destroyed, while the towns of Port Olry and Luganville were also hit hard. Coconut plantations on the island were damaged which lead serious effects to the islands major industry of Copra.

International assistance was requested after the Vanuatu Government realised that it could not cope with the aftermath of both cyclones and the ongoing drought using its own resources, with the main need being financial support in order to purchase and distribute relief items. The Government also needed the means to reach the inaccessible island hinterlands and to conduct damage assessments. As a result the Vanuatu Government asked the French Government to support the National Disaster Management Office, in an aerial survey in order to identify the damage and the worst affected area. This request was subsequently granted with a French military jet sent to assess the damage from New Caledonia during March 4. The plane confirmed preliminary reports of heavy damage from the system, though it saw no significant damage in Vanuatu's Bank Islands. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs released from the Norwegian reserve fund for natural disasters, while it also allocated a grant of  for the local procurement and transportation of relief.

Vanuatu
Zuman impacted the northern islands of Vanuatu between March 30 and April 2, where it caused around US$6 million in damages. Ahead of the system impacting the islands, various alerts were issued by the Vanuatu National Disaster Mangement Office, including a red alert for Espiritu Santo and all nearby northern islands. Residents were warned that the system, posed a high risk of flooding in low-lying coastal and river areas, as a result of Zuman coinciding with very high tides. As a result, people were urged to leave their homes by the NDMO, while three evacuation centres were set up by local authorities. All schools in the region were cancelled, while ships were urged to find safe anchorage.

New Zealand
Zuman's remnants impacted parts of New Zealand's North Island with heavy rain, half a day before the 30th anniversary of the Wahine storm and less than two weeks after Yali had impacted the islands. However, the winds around Zuman's remnant low were below gale force and there were no reports of any damage.