24 Feb 2015

Tuvalu surveys road damage after king tides

9:04 pm on 24 February 2015

Roads around much of Tuvalu are strewn with debris after a series of king tides last week and over the weekend.

The Tuvalu news service, Fenui News, says the low lying islands were hit by tides that peaked at 3.4 metres.

A Tuvalu beach being eroded by a storm.

A Tuvalu beach being eroded by a storm. Photo: SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

The director of the environment, Matario Tekinene, says the tides dumped a lot of debris from the beaches onto the roads, which tend to be close to the shore.

He says there is some damage to the roads.

"A little bit of damage on some sites where the [roads] are particularly close to the shoreline, but most of the affected areas are full of stones and debris."

The weather office's, Elifaleti Ene, says such tides are normal at this time of the year, but Mr Tekinene, says he thinks the impact this year was more severe.