Cyclone Winston

In addition to the donation, the NRL has pledged to continue to work with UNICEF and their rapid response network and is encouraging fans and communities to support the appeal and the people of Fiji as they start to rebuild.

Australian Rugby League Commission Chair John Grant said the Rugby League community has close ties with Fiji, with some of the game's finest and most popular players coming from Fiji.

Clever and simple trick results in Buimo Jail break

http://www.looppng.com/content/clever-and-simple-trick-results-buimo-jail-break

A cleverly devised trick took the Buimo jail officers by surprise, which saw the mass breakout, occur with 94 prisoners escaping on Thursday Feb 25.

PX airlifts Fiji relief supplies

Havora presented the donation on behalf of Pacific Balanced Fund / Melanesian Trustee Services Ltd towards the cyclone victims.

She also presented a donation of K2,000 from the Miss Pacific Islands Pageant PNG to the Fiji Cyclone Appeal.

"We witnessed from afar the devastating effects that the cyclone left behind and we had nothing much to offer but our solidarity and prayers for our Melanesian brothers and sisters out there.

Fiji's government received the grant from Nauru's Secretary for Foreign Affairs Michael Aroi who presented it in Suva on Friday.

Mr Aroi said the people of Nauru were saddened by the loss of lives and the devastation caused by Cyclone Winston.

He said Nauru was hopeful the donation would help the people of Fiji recover from the tragic ordeal.

Meanwhile, the Australian Navy ship, HMAS Canberra, had been deployed to Fiji with more than 800 personnel onboard to help with the country's recovery from Cyclone Winston.

The system, which is about 1,000 kilometres east of Brisbane and moving west, is then due to travel north-west into the Coral Sea.

Forecaster Jess Carey said there was a "slight possibility" it would intensify into a weak category one cyclone.

"It's moving into a body of water that is slightly warmer, so it's moving into more favourable territory," he said.

"The effects are going to be the same whether it's a category one cyclone or an ex-tropical cyclone: big seas, big waves and pretty significant high tides as well."

The president of the Lautoka Cane Producers Association said they have lost up to 80 percent of this year's crop.

Parbindra Singh said he expects this figure will rise because many areas have yet to be assessed.

Mr Singh said in some parts of west Viti Levu farmers have lost their entire crop.

"Basically there will be no crop in Penang and Ra association, that is the Raki Raki association but as far as the Lautoka mill is concerned we might have thirty percent of cane, maximum."

The death toll is expected to increase as remote areas of the country believed to have been hard hit by the category 5 storm have yet to be contacted.

Fiji Village reports more than 13,000 people are currently sheltering at 274 evacuation centres around the country.

About 64 schools have been badly damaged and the number is expected to increase further.

The director of Fiji's disaster management office said people who needed food and water after cyclone Winston should go to evacuation centres.

This was confirmed by National Disaster Management Minister Inia Seruiratu today.

Families are being advised to, as soon as possible, bury or cremate bodies of those who have died as a result of Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston.

Commissioner Western Manasa Tagicakibau says there are no facilities to store bodies for a lengthy period.

“We are talking about bodies – the deceased – we cannot really bring them to the mortuary because there is no power – so their best option is to have them buried quickly and deal with all other protocols later.”

It destroyed entire villages, flooding low-lying areas, and wiped out crops. The death toll from Cyclone Winston now stands at 29, and it is feared that number will rise further when communication is restored to outlying islands.

Lovu, on the main island of Viti Levu, was one of the areas badly lashed by the category five storm, and residents living in a squatter settlement there have described it as the scariest experience of their lives.

About 300 families live at the settlement. Some of the homes are destroyed, with families living on what is left of the foundations.

This was confirmed to Radio Tonga News by the Director of the National Emergency Management Office, Leveni 'Aho after a government team completed its initial assessment of the island on Saturday.

The assessment found minor structural damages to some of the schools, Prince Ngu hospital and two causeways. 

Severe damage was inflicted on fruit trees such as breadfruits, bananas and coconuts.

More than 2,000 people were sheltered in town and district halls across the island during the cyclone.