Cyclone Olaf, a powerful storm packing winds over 200 kilometers per hour (120 miles per hour), was bearing down on Samoa and American Samoa and could reach "super cyclone" status by the time it strikes the two territories' main islands around 0000 GMT Wednesday, experts said.

Olaf slowed down in the hours before it closed in on the main Samoan island of Savai'i and was a strong Category 4 cyclone, out of a maximum of 5, the Australian-Pacific Center for Emergency and Disaster Information said.

Samoa and neighboring American Samoa were forecast to feel the full force of the cyclone within four to six hours, possibly intensifying to a Category 4/5 storm -- making it a "super cyclone" producing sustained winds over 250 kilometers (155 miles) per hour and 15 meter (50-foot) waves, APCEDI said.

The two nations were under states of emergency, with schools, businesses and airports closed and boarded up and low-lying areas evacuated, residents in the American Samoa capital Pago Pago told AFP.

The Samoa and Fiji meteorological centers said Olaf was expected to pass directly over the Samoas and then continue southeast to the southern Cook Islands, which were already being buffeted by a second, weaker cyclone, Nancy.

"This continues to be a critically dangerous situation for Samoa, American Samoa and the Southern Cooks," APCEDI coordinator Kevin Vang said.

Nancy uprooted trees, damaged roofs and flooded coastal areas of the small Cook Islands atoll of Aitutake overnight, the Aitutake Cyclone Center reported.

No injuries were reported among Aitutake's 2,000 residents and tourists had been evacuated earlier from the island, one of the Pacific's most picturesque atolls, the center said.

The storm caused serious damage to the Lagoon Beach Resort, one of the biggest hotels on the island, it said.

Nancy had weakened from a category 4 to a category 2 cyclone as it passed through the Cook Islands, probably due to interaction with more powerful Olaf to the northwest, Vang said.

But the storm was considered very dangerous for the Cooks, which were still recovering from significant damage caused by a category 4 cyclone, Meena, which struck just 10 days ago.

Nancy missed the main island of Rarotonga by about 100 kilometersmiles), but high winds and "phenomenal" seas still caused damage to the east coast, where buildings and sea walls were ravaged by Meena, the Fiji Meteorological Center said.

The storm passed directly over four smaller Cook Islands atolls, destroying several houses and causing "widespread, low-level damage", APCEDI said.

Vang said it was possible Olaf and Nancy could cross paths, spinning around each other in a giant storm center until one of the storms is flung off.

"For the South Pacific it is unusual to have two cyclones this close together," Vang said. "This has the making of an absolute mess."

The danger was greatest for the Cook Islands, where Olaf was forecast to follow hard on the heels of Cyclone Nancy.

"Authorities should in fact be prepared for a quick double hit by both storms in a 24-72 hour period," Vang said.

In American Samoa, residents spent the night boarding up homes and lashing down roofs in preparation for Olaf.

Elisapeta Laolagi of Olosega island said people were well prepared for Olaf, with all buildings and homes boarded up and villagers stocked up with food and water.

While the winds remained calm overnight, Poloa resident Peter Gurr said the sea was "frightening", with gigantic waves similar to before Cyclone Heta wreaked havoc on the island last year.

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