SEVERE Tropical Cyclone Maila has started to track towards Papua New Guinea after leaving a trail of destruction in the Solomon Islands’ Western Province.
Now a Category Four system, TC Maila has winds of up to 295 kilometres per hour at its centre and on its current track could make landfall in PNG’s eastern islands late this week.
There are reports of damage to homes and infrastructure in several villagers but no casualties have been recorded by emergency services.
TC Maila developed in the Solomon Sea and headed for the Western Province before swing back on a westerly track overnight.
Reports from West New Britain in PNG say that roads and bridges have been affected by heavy rain.
Flah floods have caused drains to overflow and the situation is expected to worsen in the coming days.
The PNG Weather Service has advised villagers in the Milne Bay area to relocate to higher ground at their earliest convenience.
On the mainland, the PNG Defence Force had ordered troops to stand by for deployment to affected areas once the weather cleared.
