Kuo pehē ko e saikolone mālohi taha 'eni he palanite' te ne 'ahia 'a Fisi he efiafi ni' 'a ia 'e a'u hono mālohi katekōlia (category) 5 ki he kilomita 'e 350 ki he houa pea 'e 'i he toko 6 kilu' 'a e kakai 'o Fisi 'e uesia heni'. Pehē 'e he Palēmia Bainimarama 'e laka e maumau ko 'eni 'i he maumau ne fai 'e Winston he 2016 'a ia ne mate ai ha toko 44.
This story was originally appeared on RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission
Cyclone Yasa, with winds at its centre gusting as high as 350km/h, is due to make landfall this evening.
This graphic from the Fiji Meteorological Service shows the projected path of Cyclone Yasa. The area in red is forecast to suffer destructive or very destructive hurricane force winds. Several major towns, including Labasa, are in the forecast path. credit: Fiji Meteorological Service
The category five storm is due to strike the province of Bua, on the northern island of Vanua Levu, but a hurricane warning is in force for nearly the whole country.
The National Disaster Management Office said at least 600,000 people lie in Yasa’s path.
Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said Cyclone Yasa could easily surpass the devastation of 2016’s Cyclone Winston, which killed 44 people, destroyed 40,000 homes and significantly impacted 350,000 people in the country.
In a video recording, Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said Cyclone Yasa could easily surpass the devastation wrought by Cyclone Winston in 2016.
Bainimarama said the entire country should prepare for severe damage.
“Yasa is a category five storm that could easily surpass the record-breaking strength of Cyclone Winston,” he said. “The impact forecast for this latest super storm is more or less the entire country.
“Over 850,000 Fijians are in the direct path of the cyclone.”
If that bears out, the impact on Fiji would be severe. Cyclone Winston flattened villages, killed 44 people and left thousands homeless. It caused about US$1.4 billion worth of damage.
In the grip of a pandemic that has caused Fiji’s economy to contract by about 20 percent, there has been little government revenue this year. The government said it was already in talks with donor countries about support.
Still, in his video, Bainimarama assured Fijians that authorities stood by ready to deploy immediately.
“All those in the path of this storm rest assured, we will reach you,” he said. “Our battle tested disaster officials are ready to come to the aid of effected communities.
A curfew is now in effect for all of Fiji until at least 6 o’clock Friday morning.
People are only allowed outside their homes for emergencies, the police said.
With darkness falling across the country, authorities said the time to secure property and move to evacuation centres had now passed. It was time to hunker down.
Sometimes when a business is growing, it needs a little help.
Right now Kaniva News provides a free, politically independent, bilingual news service for readers around the world that is absolutely unique. We are the largest New Zealand-based Tongan news service, and our stories reach Tongans wherever they are round the world. But as we grow, there are increased demands on Kaniva News for translation into Tongan on our social media accounts and for the costs associated with expansion. We believe it is important for Tongans to have their own voice and for Tongans to preserve their language, customs and heritage. That is something to which we are strongly committed. That’s why we are asking you to consider sponsoring our work and helping to preserve a uniquely Tongan point of view for our readers and listeners.
