cyclones

Brown, who is also Cook Islands Prime Minister, said the Forum stands ready to assist with the recovery and rebuilding efforts as and when possible.

"Our hearts go out to those in Vanuatu who are now homeless, those hurting, those displaced, those hungry and the many anxiously awaiting news or assistance," he said.

Brown said the ongoing anxiety and trauma caused to hundreds of families during these intensifying events is also an emerging priority.

Cynthia Rasch said the marina was now full with more than 40 foreign yachts, all seeking shelter ahead of the Pacific cyclone season this summer.

The yachts would normally head south out of the seasonal storm zone, but it was now wiser to remain where they were because borders were closed in Australia and New Zealand.

It was difficult for yachts to sail against prevailing weather in the northern hemisphere, meaning it was not possible for many to backtrack to home ports.

Although the Pacific has largely been spared by the spread of the disease relative to other regions around the world – with Fiji hardest hit of the six countries the UN Women’s Ending Violence Against Women and Girls programme works in, at 18 confirmed cases – all of which have since been cleared, and several countries without a recorded a case so far – the economic and social consequences have been deep.

The research, published today in the journal Nature, measured cyclones from 1949 to 2016 and found that the speed at which they move has slowed by 10 percent.

The slower a cyclone moves over the ocean, the more moisture and intensity it gathers; the slower it moves over the land, the more time it spends drenching it.

James Kossin's research showed that over the past 68 years, cyclones have slowed by 10 percent globally as the planet warms.

In this region, it's been even more dramatic.

James Shaw said there had already been category five storms that would have been given a higher rating if one was available.

A category five cyclone, as defined by New Zealand's MetService, has winds speeds between 215 and 230 kilometres per hour.

This differs from category five cyclones in Australia, which have winds exceeding 280 kilometres per hour.

Mr Shaw's comments at the Pacific Climate Conference in Wellington come as some New Zealanders affected by Cyclone Gita have been told it could take up to a year to clean up the region.

El Niño is a warming of sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific occurring every two to seven years which can trigger both floods and drought in different parts of the world.

Its opposite phase, a cooling of the same waters known as La Niña, is associated with the increased probability of wetter conditions over much of Australia and increased numbers of tropical cyclones.

The department's William Worwor says they held consultations throughout the islands about the quality of service during Cyclone Pam.

Worwor says people expressed there was lack of information reaching them so the service has been working to improve dissemination of information.

Part of this effort is reproducing a new cyclone tracking map with more detailed information.