News in Brief

League season starts Friday
The rugby league season starts this week with the Titikaveka Bulldogs taking on the Arorangi Bears, Tupapa Panthers vs. Ngatangiia Matavera Sea-Eagles, and the Avatiu Eels reserve up against the Takuvaine and the Eels Premier grade taking on the Aitutaki Sharks who will be hosted to a kaikai by the Eels following the game on Friday.
Cyclone Oli stronger, heads for Tahiti
The tropical Cyclone Oli that caused a cyclone alert on the Cook Islands is now heading towards French Polynesia and Oli has since been upgraded to category 3, with hurricane force winds at 130kmph and is moving in an east south easterly direction. According to Met Service Director, Oli is not a threat to the Cook Islands but is understood to be intensifying. According to Nadi Met Service, Oli’s central pressure system had dropped from 985 hectapascles since the early hours of Tuesday morning when the threat to the southern cook islands was cancelled, and as it moves nearer to French Polynesia, has since then dropped to 975 declaring it as a category 3.As for the Cook Islands, a strong wind warning is still in force for both the Northern and Southern Cooks and even though there were 2 cyclones in the Cook Islands there is nothing as yet that has formed however the Met Service and the Emergency Management CI is asking that we remain vigilant as we are still in the cyclone season which ends at the end of April.
Understanding the Cyclone
Cyclones are classed according to wind speed measured. Below is the classification of each catergory of cylcone and what the wind speed and isobar readings in order for it to be classed into certain catergorys.
Category Cyclone 1 has mean winds 34-49 knots with a central pressure greater than 985 hPa
Category Cyclone 2 has mean winds 48-63 knots with a central pressure 985-970 hPa
Category Cyclone 3 has mean winds 64-85 knots with a central pressure 970-945 hPa
Category Cyclone 4 has mean winds 86-107 knots with a central pressure 945-910 hPa
Category Cyclone 5 has mean winds greater than 107 knots with a central pressure less than 910 hPa

Herald Issue 463 10 June
- World famous activist assisting residents
- Budget will decide if residents prosecute Government over landfill
- Forestry project sucking Mangaia dry
- Budget 2010 – fiasco or disaster?