Cyclone Heta, 2004

Cyclone Heta, 2004

Niue has such a small population that retaining a critical mass of people is vital for the continued survival of the community. Its population was just beginning to show signs of stabilisation with the establishment of a small tourism industry and vanilla farming when Cyclone Heta’s massive waves and high winds hit in January 2004. They destroyed much of the islands infrastructure and killed a mother and her baby son.