Thousands evacuated as powerful cyclone hits Fiji

SUVA: A powerful cyclone battered Fiji’s northern islands Monday, damaging homes and crops as thousands of people fled to evacuation centres, officials said.

Cyclone Tomas was classified as a category-four cyclone — the second-most destructive on a five-point scale — and was packing winds averaging up to 175 kilometres (109 miles) an hour, the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) said.

There were no early reports of casualties, although reports said one woman drowned over the weekend in stormy seas.

The cyclone was expected to intensify later Monday and into early Tuesday, with average wind speeds rising to 200 kilometres an hour, and gusts of up to 270 kilometres an hour.

Fiji Disaster Management Office director Pajiliai Dobui said about 5,000 people had moved into evacuation centres in the northern part of the country, especially on the second-largest island of Vanua Levu.

“Our worry is how devastating the cyclone will be,” he told Fiji commercial radio, adding it was likely to be the most powerful storm in recent years.

The head official in the northern region, Inia Seruiratu, said weather conditions had worsened dramatically during the day.

“You can see trees swaying and likewise the electrical wires and cables that are running between the poles,” he told state radio, adding that conditions would be worse in other areas.

Officials said communications had been lost with smaller islands closer to the eye of the cyclone.

There were reports of damage to homes, other buildings and crops, and Vanua Levu was without power on Monday.

The cyclone was moving slowly, at about nine kilometres an hour, increasing the potential for damage with strong winds battering areas for many hours, the FMS said.

On its present track, the eye of Cylone Tomas was expected to pass to the east of Vanua Levu and the largest island Viti Levu, although many smaller islands in the Lau group would be close to its path.

Fiji’s main centres were put under curfew overnight on Sunday. This was lifted during the day, except in the northern region, but was set to be reimposed nationwide on Monday night.

Schools were closed and most public services suspended throughout the country on Monday.

The capital Suva was eerily quiet, with government offices, schools and many businesses closed and traffic reduced to a trickle.

Airlines cancelled international flights Monday in and out of Fiji’s international airport at Nadi, in the west of Viti Levu.

Some tourists left resorts in the west of Fiji, although the region is not expected to be hit nearly as hard as the east of the country.

The cyclone was reported to be generating waves up to 7.2 metres (24 feet) near its centre, and ships and boats have been warned away from the area.