Fiji wakes to death and destruction after ‘assault’ by 185mph Cyclone Winston

Five people have died after Cyclone Winston slammed into Fiji leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. The category five storm hit the island country with wind gust of 300kph (185mph) which toppled trees, brought down power lines and ripped roofs from homes. Save the Children Fiji chief Iris Low-McKenzie said it was too early to assess the impact on other remote islands, although unconfirmed reports said thousands of homes had been destroyed.

I’m especially concerned about the remote communities in outlying areas that we haven’t been able to contact yet.

Iris Low-McKenzie

“I’ve never experienced anything like this. The noise was frightening as roofs were blown off homes and trees were ripped out by their roots,” said Ms Low-McKenzie. Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said the storm amounted to an “assault on Fiji”, a nation of about 900,000 heavily reliant on its tourism industry. Many residents spent the night sheltering in some 700 evacuation centres where they were given emergency supplies of food and water. Falling trees blocked roads on the main island of Viti Levu, where all flights were cancelled as the winds buffeted Nadi international airport.

It’s not too bad here in Suva. We weren’t that badly damaged, just a few panels flew off the house.

Suva resident Danny Southcombe

Fiji cyclone