Cyclone Tomas Moving Away from Fiji, Impact to be Assessed

Cyclone Tomas impact to be assessed

SUVA, March 17, 2010 (Xinhua) --

Editor: Xiong Tong

Siteri Madu held tight to her namesake as Tropical Cyclone Tomas shook their village home in Fiji over the three days since Sunday night.

Madu who has witnessed many cyclones in her village in Burarua of Tailevu, located at the eastern coast of the main island of Viti Levu, said she refused to leave her corrugated iron home this time even though all her neighbors had vacated for relatives with improved homes within the village.

Her 90-year-old mother and single sister that lived next door as well as a niece left the village home for a relative's cement house while she opted to look after their animals and plantations.

"I just thought it was better to stay here. I know the pigs would run for safety as their shed was near the sea that's what happens all the time there is a flood," she said.

"Whenever there is a cyclone or flood warning, we all vacate our homes to run to the upper side of the village because there are better homes there," she said.

Madu said villages with pigs near the river opened the pens so the animals could run for cover and not simply drown because they were stuck.

"We felt safe using a kerosene lamp all night because we were scared that things could turn dark if there was a power shut down, " she said.

"What kept us awake though was the whooshing sound of the trees with the 200 km per hour winds...it was just so loud and scary," Madu said.

She said that was the reason why the men dismantled the village toilets and cooking sheds.

"We have toilets outside and kitchens too in the villages so these were safely dismantled to avoid flying corrugated iron materials which usually caused accidents and even deaths during such times," she added.

This time, residents in the Northern Division and the Eastern islands felt the full brunt of Cyclone Tomas as a 30-day state of emergency has been declared for these areas.

The Fiji Weather Office said on Wednesday that Cycloen Tomas was now heading away from Fiji.

All warnings on the system are now being canceled except for strong wind warning for Southern Lau.

Despite the cyclone moving away from Fiji, very rough seas and moderate to heavy swells (more than 2 meters) will affect Fiji Waters for the next two to three days.

The passage of the cyclone has left some moist conditions that will cause scattered rain on Wednesday with much improved weather expected from Thursday.

Fiji's Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama said the precautionary measures that were put in place in anticipation of Tropical Cyclone Tomas in particular, given the inability to precisely predict its path, were necessary.

Such precautionary measures including curfews and instructions to have businesses closed were put in place to protect people and property.

It is evident that wherever Tomas has struck, the damage has been overwhelming.

But in the capital of Suva, the cyclone this time caused not much damages so far apart from minor ones, due to the precautionary measures taken by families and the curfews which meant that people were confined to their homes.

However, the full impact of Tomas in the Northern region, the Lomaiviti and Lau Groups is yet to be determined even though what' s known is that it was extensive and damaging.

Schools and institutions have started opening on Wednesday in areas like Suva that were not extensively damaged.

On Wednesday, a New Zealand Air Force Hercules transport plane arrived in Fiji loaded with relief supplies. It was also expected to fly over the most badly damaged islands to give government authorities an assessment of the damage. An Australian transport plane also arrived at Nausori on Wednesday with rations for those affected by the cyclone. The Red Cross said it will deliver aid to the cyclone-affected Lau and Lomaiviti island groups in Fiji on Wednesday, with the help of the Fiji navy.

The director general of the Fiji Red Cross, Alison Cupid, said that a naval ship will collect supplies from Vanua Levu Wednesday morning, before heading to the island of Cikobia, where it's thought aid is needed desperately.

Editor: Xiong Tong

State of emergency declared for north, east Fiji after Cyclone Tomas

SUVA, March 16, 2010 (Xinhua) --

A state of emergency was declared for the northern and eastern parts of Fiji on Tuesday as Cyclone Tomas swept southward.

The state of emergency will last for 30 days from Tuesday for the whole of the Northern and Eastern divisions of Fiji.

The declaration was made Tuesday morning by the National Disaster Council made up of the heads of several major ministries in Fiji.

The decision was made in a meeting chaired by Fiji Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama.

And military and naval personnel will be deployed as soon as possible to facilitate relief efforts including provision of food and basic supplies.

National Disaster Management (DISMAC) operations officer Anthony Blake said the council members also discussed the serious situation that had resulted in Tropical Cyclone Tomas' wake in the North. The Eastern division is made up of the Lomaiviti and Lau groups of islands.

The Northern division is made up of Fiji's second largest island Vanua Levu, Taveuni and surrounding smaller islands including Cikobia.

Blake said the Council agreed to deployment of military and navy to the Northern and Eastern divisions and the preparation of relief supplies.

Blake said communications are still difficult but at least 50 homes are known to have been destroyed and many more damaged.

He added that most of the damage appears to have occurred in the Northern Division and some parts of the Eastern Division so far

He said there has been widespread flooding and some roads are closed.

The director of Fiji's Met Office, Rajendra Prasad, said at midday on Tuesday that the cyclone is now on its final 12 hours of intensity as it continues to head south.

Prasad said the northern division seems to be the worst hit, with the central and western division escaping the brunt of the storm.

More than 10,000 people sheltered in evacuation centers around Fiji, with the largest number of people displaced by Hurricane Tomas in the northern part.

Tomas, considered to be one of the worst to hit the region in seven years, lashed northern parts of the Pacific nation on Monday, producing winds of up to 270 km/h and is said to have generated waves up to seven meters high off Vanua Levu.

The director of Fiji's disaster management center, Pajiliai Dobui, said communication has been lost on islands including Vanua Levu, Taveuni and Lau, and officials will not know the extent of the damage until Wednesday.

Fiji Meteorological Service said the cyclone is so fierce it had broken a strong sea wall and flooded villages on outlying islands to the east of Viti Levu.

The cyclone has claimed one life after a woman was swept out to sea on Friday. Police say the 31-year-old and her relatives were swept out at Namilamila Bay in Vanua Levu after a warning to stay away from the sea was issued.

The New Zealand government said it was waiting for an assessment of the damage in Fiji before deciding what assistance to provide.

Editor: Xiong Tong

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