Cyclones & earthquakes: A week of natural disasters in Vanuatu

The Pacific island state of Vanuatu is feeling the impact of its second tropical cyclone in 24 hours amid earthquakes today.

From Tuesday Cyclone Judy arrived on the island east of Australia with gale force winds, heavy rain, and a storm surge which flooded coastal areas as winds approached 124 mph.

With winds at this level its force is comparable to a category 3 hurricane. Now, Cyclone Kevin has arrived on the scene.

At this time Kevin is delivering yet more gale force winds reaching 85 mph as the system passes island capital Port Vila.

The capital has already been damaged by Judy in recent days with both cyclones’ eyewall, the area around the eye of the cyclone where winds are strongest, reaching the city.

Fiji and New Caledonia have also felt the impact of these cyclones as they pass through the region.

Both cyclones are following almost exactly the same track through the Pacific, by Monday the two will have moved southeast towards open waters.

It is likely that the two cyclones are interacting with each other as Judy paves the way forward for Kevin behind.

Cyclones are not the only natural disaster on the island, earlier today two earthquakes also struck the island. Registering as magnitudes 6.5 and 5.4.

No casualties have been reported from the events though hundreds of people were evacuated ahead of the storms. A specialist team from Australia is travelling to assess the damage.

You can see the systems for yourself using the WindRadar.