WUNRN
FIJI HIT BY POWERFUL CYCLONE - WOMEN
COPE WITH NATURAL DISASTERS
NATASHA MARTIN/The Timaru Herald
UNCERTAIN FATE: Asenaca Vakalala hopes to fly to
cyclone-torn
FIJI - THOUSANDS EVACUATED AS CYCLONE CRISIS HITS FIJI ISLANDS
March 15, 2010
A powerful cyclone packing sustained winds of 175
kilometres an hour smashed into Fiji on Monday, damaging homes and crops and
forcing thousands of people to flee to evacuation centres.
Cyclone Tomas was classified as a
category-four cyclone - the second-most destructive on a five-point scale - the
Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) said, with gusts that wreaked havoc across
the north of the country.
There were no early reports of
casualties, although officials confirmed a woman drowned over the weekend in heavy
seas as the storm approached.
The cyclone was reported to be
generating waves up to 7.2 metres high and shipping was warned to stay away
from the area.
It was expected to intensify
later on Monday and into early Tuesday, with average wind speeds rising to 200
kilometres an hour, with gusts up to 270 kilometres an hour.
The head of Fiji's Disaster
Management Office, Pajiliai Dobui, said about 5000 people had moved into
evacuation centres in the north of the country, especially on the
second-largest island, Vanua Levu.
The eye of Cyclone Tomas was
expected to pass east of Vanua Levu and the largest island Viti Levu, although
many smaller islands would be close to its path.
"Our worry is how
devastating the cyclone will be," Dobui told Fiji commercial radio, adding
it was likely to be the most powerful storm in recent years.
The head official in the northern
region, Inia Seruiratu, said weather conditions had worsened dramatically
during the day.
"You can see trees swaying
and likewise the electrical wires and cables that are running between the
poles," he told state radio.
Police in the town of Labasa on
Vanua Levu said people were being evacuated from low lying areas as rain
swelled the local river.
Officials said communications had
been lost with most of the smaller islands near the eye of the cyclone.
On Vanua Levu there were reports
of damage to homes and crops, and the island was without power for most of
Monday.
The cyclone was moving slowly, at
about 9km/h, increasing the potential for damage.
Director of Meteorology Rajendra
Prasad said Cyclone Tomas would move slowly south until Tuesday evening.
"It is expected to reach
peak intensity tonight or early tomorrow, maintain it for about 12-18 hours,
and undergo a very gradual weakening trend afterwards," he said.
The cyclone was expected to pass
over the Lau group of islands on Tuesday, battering some with destructive
hurricane force winds.
Fiji's main centres were put
under curfew overnight. This was lifted during the day, except in the north,
but was set to be reimposed nationwide on Monday night.
Schools were closed and most
public services suspended throughout the country and were to remain shut on
Tuesday.
The capital Suva was
eerily quiet, with government offices, schools and many businesses closed and
traffic reduced to a trickle.
Airlines cancelled
international flights in and out of Fiji's international airport in the west of
Viti Levu.
Some tourists left
resorts in the west of Fiji, although the region is not expected to be hard
hit.
Separately, the Solomon
Islands, to the northwest of Fiji, escaped with less damage than expected as
Cyclone Ului was downgraded to category four.
The Solomons' disaster
management office reported damage to trees and crops and some homes and
shelters on the coastline had been swept away by surging seas.
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