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Cleanup of the destructive Tropical Cyclone Yasa has begun, with the support of the New Zealand government and humanitarian organizations. But it will take months for the Pacific Island nation to recover.
“It’s going to be a pretty long road ahead,” said Unicef Pacific communications chief Cate Heinrich, who is based in Suva. “There will be families really in need [of] immediate support [as well as support] for the next few weeks … and months. “
The Category 5 cyclone ripped through Fiji on Thursday night, wreaking havoc in several villages. Ninety-three thousand people were in the path of the storm, those in the northern provinces, especially Vanua Levu, experienced the worst conditions.
“Homes have been destroyed … we are seeing reports that classrooms are damaged and roofs blown up,” Heinrich said. Stuff. “Great damage”.
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Fiji Red Cross Society Director General Ilisapeci Rokotunidau said initial reports from volunteers in the worst affected regions speak of destruction in Bua, where the eye of the storm passed at 6pm on Thursday (7 pm NZT).
“We are very concerned for the safety of thousands of people who have experienced the brunt of this monster storm,” he said in a statement shared on Twitter.
Fiji’s Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama described the weather phenomenon as a “super cyclone”.
Two people died: a 45-year-old man who was crushed under a wall in his house and a 3-month-old baby.
Hundreds of evacuation centers have been established across the country for people to take refuge, many remain open and will remain open for as long as necessary, the prime minister announced on Facebook. Around 24,000 people gathered at these centers as the storm passed.
Bainimarama assured those affected that help was on the way.
“If you are affected by this storm, please be assured that we will contact you with relief. We are mobilizing all available resources to respond in the areas severely affected by this most recent supercyclone. “
Cyclone Yasa curfews have been removed, but the Covid-19 curfew has returned from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.
The amount of damages is expected to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. “The dust has not yet settled … we will continue to assess the extent of the damage,” the prime minister said.
New Zealand provided an initial support package, which included a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3 Orion surveillance flight. The flight left on Saturday morning.
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said in a statement on Friday that the surveillance flights will help assess damage in remote areas.
Emergency relief kits already in Fiji are being distributed, and funds will be available to the New Zealand High Commissioner to respond to needs on the ground as requested by Fiji.
Adi Wong / Supplied
Daku Primary School in Fiji was severely damaged by Tropical Cyclone Yasa.
The government also funds a technical advisor from the Fiji National Disaster Management Office (NDMO).
“Our thoughts are with the people of Fiji who have been affected by this devastating cyclone. We are supporting the government of Fiji in identifying and responding to emergency needs, ”Mahuta said.
“When a member of the Pacific whānau needs it, we offer our support. We are ready to help further as the needs become clearer. “
The Australian government is also providing support in the form of a plane for aerial surveillance. Emergency relief supplies replenished after Cyclone Harold in April are being distributed.
“We are ready to deliver additional emergency supplies, such as tents, tarpaulins and hygiene kits, and to support the distribution of supplies to the remote outer islands, which have reportedly been severely affected by the category five storm.” said Chancellor Marise Payne. it said in a statement.
Port Denarau emerged relatively unscathed from the weather event. All the boats were evacuated before the cyclone made landfall, with around 44 sailboats anchored in nearby mangroves.
“We consider ourselves extremely lucky,” said port operations manager Geoff Deutschmann.
Some ships sheltering in port during the pandemic plan to transport supplies to smaller islands that cannot be accessed by large ships.
“They are trapped here, they survived the cyclone and they consider themselves lucky … now they want to give back to [the] community ”, Deutschmann. The ships took advantage of Fiji’s Blue Lane initiative that welcomes foreign ships that meet certification criteria, including 14-day onboard quarantine.
Heinrich said that the timing of the natural disaster will take a toll on the community that felt the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.
UNICEF Pacific has not yet been able to access the northern provinces, but plans to have the boots on the ground by Monday. Heinrich said the team is working with the government to figure out how to get supplies to remote and badly damaged areas.
Building on existing supplies in Fiji, the organization is sending educational supplies and basic necessities: water and sanitation and hygiene kits. Most supplies will need to go by boat.
Since the cyclone moved away from Fiji, it has degraded from a severe tropical cyclone, but is still powerful. The Category 2 tropical cyclone passes through Tonga on Saturday afternoon with gusts of up to 140 km per hour and maximum wave heights of 7 meters.
