Authorities in New Zealand are telling boat owners on the north coast to check the moorings on their boats right now, because the middle of a Cyclone is no time to trying to secure a boat.  Three deaths are attributed to the tropical storm in Vanuatu.

Auckland Civil Defense is warning that cyclone Lusi could bring winds of up to 120 kilometers per hour – and that means rough seas, flooding, road closures, as well as power and phone outages.  North of Auckland, the area from Omaha to Red Beach is at significant risk of coastal erosion, and it doesn’t stop there.

“The upper South Island is also likely to see substantial rainfall from late Saturday into Sunday,” said Kiwi MetService meteorologist Dan Corbett.

Authorities are assessing the damage in Vanuatu where Cyclone Lusi left three people dead and six missing.  Two of the fatalies were elderly people struck by falling trees, the third is a baby swept away by floodwater.  There’s also crop damage, flooding, and mudslides.  Freshwater supplies have been contaminated by floodwaters and some buildings have been destroyed.

“Most cyclones are quick, just two or three hours,” said Shadrack Welegtabit, the director of Vanuatu's National Disaster Management Office.  “This one was here for two days.”