SUVA: Downed power lines and flooding are hampering relief efforts in Fiji after one of the most powerful storms recorded in the southern hemisphere tore through the Pacific island nation, flattening remote villages and killing at least 10 people.
Harsh winds and torrential rains tore up homes and cut power, water and communications links across the nation of about 900,000 people, although Suva, the capital, escaped the brunt after the storm changed direction at the last minute.
The 10 fatalities were all along the western coast and were caused mainly by flying debris and drowning in storm surges. There were also fears for seven fishermen believed to be missing at sea.
“The Fijians are desperately trying to repair severed lines of communication, but they hold grave fears that the news waiting for them will be dire,” said Oxfam Pacific Regional Director Raijeli Nicole.
“Given the intensity of the storm and the images we have seen so far, there are strong concerns that the death toll won't stop climbing today and that hundreds of people will have seen their homes and livelihoods completely destroyed.”
Aerial footage of villages taken by the Royal New Zealand Air Force and posted on the Fijian government's official website of the outlying islands showed whole villages flattened and flooded.
A curfew in place for more than 36 hours was lifted early today, allowing the Fijian military to ramp up efforts to reach the more remote parts of the archipelago of about 300 islands.
Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has declared a 30-day state of emergency, with schools ordered to shut.
“When we are able, we will provide timelines for the return of water and power,” he said, adding that electricity supply to some areas had been deliberately cut to avert further damage.
The archipelago of about 300 islands was hit late on Saturday by tropical cyclone Winston, which packed winds of 230km/h that gusted up to 325km/h..
Businessman Jay Dayal, who lives near Rakiraki, on the north coast of Fiji's main island where the cyclone hit land, said the storm damage was extensive.
“I wouldn't be surprised if people are now starting to go without food," he said. "It looks like a different country; it doesn't look like Fiji.”
Humanitarian agencies warned Fiji might be facing a health crisis, mainly due to the lack of electricity. Low-lying river areas where hundreds of people live in tin sheds were also particularly vulnerable, aid workers said.
“We need electricity to ensure pumps are working and for sterilisation,” Raijeli Nicole, an official of aid agency Oxfam, said.
An elderly man died on Koro Island when a roof fell on him, authorities said. In a nearby village, 50 homes were reported to have been destroyed.
“Some villages have reported that all homes have been destroyed,” Jone Tuiipelehaki, of the United Nations Development Program, tweeted late on Saturday.
People flocked to 758 evacuation centres on Saturday, while tourists hunkered down in hotel ballrooms and conference rooms in coastal areas.
“The images that we're starting to see roll in are terrifying,” Alice Clements, a UNICEF official based in Suva said by telephone, describing images of a car on a building roof and a small plane nose down in debris.