Samoa appears to have escaped the worst of Cyclone Amos this morning.

Samoa Observer editor Mata’afa Keni Lesa told the New Zealand Herald this morning there had been minimal damage.

“[It’s a] peaceful morning and people are making their way to church.”

Forecast track maps showed the category three cyclone scraped by the north of the main islands, Savai’i and Upolu, and was now heading east.

That was confirmed by Samoa Metservice director Mulipola Titimaea, who told Newstalk ZB the cyclone “wasn’t as bad as expected”.

Samoa feels effects of Cyclone Amos https://t.co/DWhBIBSN3y

— RNZ News (@rnz_news) April 23, 2016

The most recent update from the Samoa Meteorology Division was posted on their website at 7am (6am NZT) and said that a tropical cyclone warning category two was now cancelled for Samoa.

“Tropical cyclone warning catergory 1 remains in effect for the eastern side of Upolu.”

A heavy rain warning also remained in effect, along with a flood advisory for low-lying coastal areas due to high surf, they wrote.

Trees brought down and roads washed away as Cyclone Amos hits Samoa: https://t.co/fWZ1rbGg5y pic.twitter.com/F9APTbiUqd

— ONE News (@ONENewsNZ) April 23, 2016

Cyclone Amos was about 72 kilometres east of Apia at 4am local time and based on its current forecast track it was expected to be about 150km east of Apia by 1pm local time.

It was moving east to south-east of Samoa at a speed of 28kmh.

Isolated showers were forecast, but heavy falls with thunderstorms were also possible.

East to south-east winds of 25 to 40 kilometres an hour, with gusts up to 72kmh, were expected mainly on the eastern side of Upolu. A storm surge of 4.2 to 4.8 metres was also forecast.

Radio Polynesia host Seti Afoa, who manned the station through the cyclone, posted on his Facebook page this morning that the cyclone “turned out to be a Phantom Storm”
“Cyclone Amos has gone away. It left us last night at 1am.”

But the island has not escaped some damage. Photos posted online showed washed out roads and downed trees on Savai’i and flooding near Apia, on the island of Upolu. There had also been power outages in some areas.

 

– NZME