Tropical Cyclone Harold April 2020
Tropical Cyclone Harold is a currently active and strong tropical cyclone that has impacted multiple countries in the Pacific.
On 1 April, a tropical low formed between the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. On 2 April, the cyclone caused a storm surge which hit a passenger ferry in the Solomon Sea. Media reported, as of 6 April, 7 fatalities and 21 people are still missing across Salomon Islands. By 5 April it had strengthened into a Category 5 severe tropical cyclone, which is the highest rating of the intensity scale. On 6 April, Vanuatu was hit by TC Harold as a category 5 cyclone with sustained winds of more than 200 km/h. On 8 April, the cyclone hit Fiji as a category 4 cyclone. TC Harold is the most intense tropical cyclone thus far worldwide in 2020.
Three CBi Member Networks, Vanuatu Business Resilience Council (VBRC), Fiji Business Disaster Resilience Council (FBDRC) and the Pacific Business Resilience Network (PBRN) are responding to the situation.