Fiji islands smashed by cyclone for days
Source: Agencies |
March 18, 2010, Thursday
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FIJI has suffered huge damage in a powerful weekend cyclone, the prime minister said yesterday, as the first word of houses blown away, trees uprooted, and roads blocked trickled in from regions cut off since the storm.
One death has been reported, but the full extent of the damage to the South Pacific island nation has yet to be determined because communications to the hardest hit areas were cut off for days.
"It is evident that wherever (Cyclone) Tomas has struck, the damage has been overwhelming," Commodore Frank Bainimarama, Fiji's prime minister and military chief, said yesterday.
Cyclone Tomas, packing winds of up to 205 kilometers per hour at its center and gusts of up to 280 kmh, first hit Fiji late Friday. It blasted through the northern Lau and Lomaiviti island groups and the northern coast of the second biggest island, Vanua Levu, before losing strength as it moved out to sea yesterday, the nation's weather office said.
Matt Boterhoven, senior forecaster at Fiji's Tropical Cyclone Center, said "the good news is it's accelerating away from Fiji ... and weakening in the cooler waters."
All storm and strong wind warnings for Fiji have been canceled, he said. Earlier, sea surges of up to 7 meters were reported in the Lau island group, which was hit head-on by the cyclone, he said.
Fiji sent naval patrol boats laden with supplies and support staff sailing for the northern islands that bore the full brunt of the storm, while Australian and New Zealand air force planes began airlifting emergency supplies to the island group and carrying out surveillance over affected northern areas.
On the northern island of Koro, seven of the 14 villages have been badly damaged, said Julian Hennings, a spokesman for the island's Dere Bay Resort. "Some of the houses have blown away. A lot of trees have been uprooted, some of the roads have been blocked off because the waves have picked up rocks and coral and have dumped it on the road," he said.
Offshore islands remained out of all contact "so we have still not got any word about casualties," said National Disaster Management Office spokesman Pajiliai Dobui.
Anthony Blake, relief coordinator at the Disaster Management Office, said shelter was top priority after preliminary reports indicated Tomas had caused "extensive damage" to the Lau group and the northern island of Cikobia. "The people are living in caves at the moment," he said.
One death has been reported, but the full extent of the damage to the South Pacific island nation has yet to be determined because communications to the hardest hit areas were cut off for days.
"It is evident that wherever (Cyclone) Tomas has struck, the damage has been overwhelming," Commodore Frank Bainimarama, Fiji's prime minister and military chief, said yesterday.
Cyclone Tomas, packing winds of up to 205 kilometers per hour at its center and gusts of up to 280 kmh, first hit Fiji late Friday. It blasted through the northern Lau and Lomaiviti island groups and the northern coast of the second biggest island, Vanua Levu, before losing strength as it moved out to sea yesterday, the nation's weather office said.
Matt Boterhoven, senior forecaster at Fiji's Tropical Cyclone Center, said "the good news is it's accelerating away from Fiji ... and weakening in the cooler waters."
All storm and strong wind warnings for Fiji have been canceled, he said. Earlier, sea surges of up to 7 meters were reported in the Lau island group, which was hit head-on by the cyclone, he said.
Fiji sent naval patrol boats laden with supplies and support staff sailing for the northern islands that bore the full brunt of the storm, while Australian and New Zealand air force planes began airlifting emergency supplies to the island group and carrying out surveillance over affected northern areas.
On the northern island of Koro, seven of the 14 villages have been badly damaged, said Julian Hennings, a spokesman for the island's Dere Bay Resort. "Some of the houses have blown away. A lot of trees have been uprooted, some of the roads have been blocked off because the waves have picked up rocks and coral and have dumped it on the road," he said.
Offshore islands remained out of all contact "so we have still not got any word about casualties," said National Disaster Management Office spokesman Pajiliai Dobui.
Anthony Blake, relief coordinator at the Disaster Management Office, said shelter was top priority after preliminary reports indicated Tomas had caused "extensive damage" to the Lau group and the northern island of Cikobia. "The people are living in caves at the moment," he said.
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