Fiji braces for second cyclone in just over a week

Trees sway during a heavy storm and strong winds, as Cyclone Keni approaches Ba, in Fiji, in this still image taken from social media video April 10, 2018. MANDATORY CREDIT. Naziah Ali/via REUTERS

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Fiji was bracing on Tuesday for the second potentially destructive cyclone to hit the Pacific island nation in just over a week, with authorities advising residents to prepare survival kits and be ready for evacuation.

Cyclone Keni was upgraded earlier on Tuesday to a Category 3 storm and is expected to bring winds of up to 170 km (105 miles) an hour when it makes landfall later in the day.

Parts of Fiji are still cleaning up after Cyclone Josie hit over the Easter weekend, leading to major flooding that killed six people. Many people who were evacuated to shelters have only just returned to their homes and some roads remain closed.

A heavy storm and strong winds as Cyclone Keni approaches Ba, in Fiji, in this still image taken from social media video April 10, 2018. MANDATORY CREDIT. Naziah Ali/via REUTERS

Tropical storms are graded from the lowest Category One to the highest Category Five. In February, Fiji escaped without deaths or widespread damage when Gita, a Category Four storm, lashed the region, causing widespread destruction in Tonga and Samoa.

(Reporting By Jane Wardell; editing by Richard Pullin)

People stand on a flooded road after a heavy storm and strong winds brought by Cyclone Keni approaches Ba, in Fiji, in this still image taken from social media video April 10, 2018. MANDATORY CREDIT. Raj Sharma/via REUTERS

A flooded bridge after a heavy storm and strong winds brought by Cyclone Keni approaches Ba, in Fiji, in this still image taken from social media video April 10, 2018. MANDATORY CREDIT. Naziah Ali/via REUTERS