Fiji:
images of flattened villages show brutal force of Cyclone Winston
Death
roll rises to 18 as emergency supplies are deployed to communities
worst-hit by strongest storm ever recorded in the region
Associated Press
Monday 22 February
2016 04.15 GMT
The death toll from
a ferocious cyclone which tore through Fiji over the weekend has
risen to 18 as authorities began to get a grasp on the scale of the
disaster and deploy aid to hard-hit outer islands.
Authorities were
still having trouble communicating with some areas, including places
like Koro Island, which suffered some of the worst damage. More than
6,000 residents across Fiji were staying in emergency shelters after
their homes were destroyed or swamped by tidal surges.
Winds from Cyclone
Winston, which tore through Fiji over the weekend, reached 177mph
(285kph), making it the strongest storm in the Southern Hemisphere
since record-keeping began, according to the Weather Underground
website.
Getting emergency
supplies to the group’s far-flung islands and remote communities
was the government’s top priority said Ewan Perrin, Fiji’s
permanent secretary for communications. Home to 900,000 people, Fiji
has more than 100 inhabited islands.
Fijians begin
cleaning up in the city of Nadi, where trees were ripped from the
ground and buildings were flooded by Cyclone Winston. The category
five storm tore through Fiji with winds gusting to 325km/h and waves
up of to 12 metres high, cutting communication across much of the
country of almost 900,000
“The logistics of
getting supplies and equipment to remote communities is difficult,”
he said. “Some have lost their jetties and it’s uncertain if
airstrips are able to be landed on.”
Perrin said
authorities were sending a ship to Koro Island filled with medical
supplies, food and water. He said crews on the boat would build
temporary shelters for those people on the island whose homes had
been destroyed.
Perrin said the
electricity network across Fiji remained patchy, and in some cases
power had been deliberately cut to prevent further damage. He said
ensuring clean water for cyclone survivors was also a challenge, and
people were being asked to boil their water, treat it with chemicals
or drink bottled water.
Phone communications
had been restored in many areas but in other areas the damage was
severe and would take longer to fix, he said.
Perrin said Fijians
were taking the disaster in stride.
“The people here
are fairly resilient and they’re accustomed to these things
happening,” he said. “Most are going about their business or
helping clean up. There’s been a very well-coordinated disaster
response and we’re deploying quickly.”
Perrin said most of
the people who died in the cyclone were hit by flying debris or were
in buildings which collapsed. A handful of people had also been
hospitalized with severe injuries, he said.
Fijians were finally
able to venture outside on Monday after authorities lifted a curfew
that had been imposed on Saturday evening. A 30-day declaration of a
state of natural disaster remains in effect, giving police
extraordinary powers.
“The damage has
been widespread, homes have been destroyed, many low-lying areas have
flooded, and many people have been left stunned and confused about
what to do,” said prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama in a televised
address to the nation.
He said that the
police and military had been brought in to help with rescue
operations and the general cleanup, and that government agencies were
working overtime to clear roads and restore power.
“This is a time of
sorrow, but it will also be a time of action,” Bainimarama said.
“We will stand united in the face of this disaster.”
Tourism minister
Faiyaz Siddiq Koya said that all tourists in Fiji were safe and that
there was no significant damage to the majority of hotels on the main
island. Fiji is a popular tourist destination, known for its
palm-fringed beach resorts and scuba diving.
Cyclone Winston hit
Fiji on Saturday and moved westward overnight along the northern
coast of Viti Levu. Fiji’s capital, Suva, located in the southern
part of the main island, was not directly in the cyclone’s path and
avoided the worst of its destructive power.
Authorities said
that all schools would be closed for a week to allow time for the
cleanup, and that three universities would be closed until further
notice.
The main
international airport on Viti Levu has been reopened.
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