Cyclone Yasa: declared a category 5 cyclone head for Fiji with gusts of up to 345 km / h

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Fiji has declared a state of natural disaster as Cyclone Yasa approaches the mainland bringing gusts of up to 345 kilometers per hour.

The Category 5 cyclone is scheduled to make landfall in Bua, Vanua Levu, at 8pm Thursday (9pm New Zealand time).

Niwa predicts it will have “destructive impacts” with damaging winds, flash floods and dangerous seas expected. The wind speed has been reduced during the day from 260 km per hour to 240 km per hour. Near the eye of the storm, winds are expected to average 240 kilometers per hour with momentary gusts of up to 345 kilometers per hour.

The cyclone is moving southeast at about 15 miles per hour.

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The Fiji National Office for Disaster Management announced on Facebook that the state of natural disaster has been officially declared.

The statement will remain for the next 30 days, with more regulations to follow.

A hurricane warning is in effect for the Yasawa Group, the northern and eastern half of Viti Levu, Yadua, Galoa, Kia, Mali, Vanua Levu, Taveuni and the smaller islands nearby, Matuku, Moala, Totoya and Lomaiviti Group.

The Fiji Weather Service has also issued warnings for storms, gales, storm surges, damaging heavy surf, heavy rain, severe flooding, and flash flooding.

Cate Heinrich, who is in Suva, said power outages have already been experienced on the islands and people have been told to stock up on food and clean water for the next few days.

“Everyone is inside and no one is moving anywhere while we wait,” he said. Stuff. “All the world [as] prepared as they may be at this stage. “

Heinrich, who is UNICEF’s chief of Pacific communications, said that even though she is not on shore, she can feel the cyclone approaching. She described it as “very disturbing”.

“It’s quite windy, the rain is falling and… you can feel it coming, and it will just get stronger. It’s getting closer and you can feel it. “

According to reports, more than 850,000 people are in the direct path of the population, more than 95% of the country’s population. A total of 1,417 people have been evacuated to 53 evacuation centers across the country.

A nationwide curfew is being implemented from 4 p.m. local time until 6 a.m. on Friday morning.

“Unless you are evacuating, that means staying off the roads and being safely protected,” Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said in a Facebook post Thursday.

Heavy rains have already caused flooding in some areas. Fiji Police issued a warning for people and children to stay away from flooded areas.

“We have found many children playing and left unsupervised in flooded areas and remember that we do not want to arrest anyone due to disobedience of the legal order; however, if people continue to ignore our instructions, we will arrest them,” said the commissioner of Police Abdul Khan.

Yasa is the fourth most powerful tropical cyclone on record in the South Pacific region, according to Time monitoring, and it is believed to be the strongest storm on Earth at the moment.

The level of damage could equal that caused by Cyclone Winston in 2016.

“Don’t be caught off guard by this latest storm,” Bainimarama said on Wednesday as the weather system moved toward Fiji.

The eye of the storm is expected to pass 100 km east of Yasaway-i-rare and 90 km southwest of Labasa, according to the Fiji government.

By 8am Friday morning (9am NZT), the center of the cyclone is forecast to be 50 km northeast of Moala.

UNICEF is working with the Fijian government to ensure that the worst-affected regions receive adequate resources and care on Friday.

Items such as tents, water and sanitation and health kits are ready and ready to be distributed, with additional resources ready to be shipped from Brisbane, Australia, if needed.

“[We’re] hoping that the impact will not be that great, but we are preparing, ”said Heinrich.

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#CycloneYasa It will make landfall as a Category 5 at Bua, Vanua Levu in the next few hours.

Destructive impacts are expected.

Stay safe 🙏 pic.twitter.com/ku4oS4U6Y3

- Island weather update (@ICU_NIWA) December 17, 2020

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