BA, FIJI (Reuters) — Residents of the district of Ba on the island of Viti Levu in Fiji were trying to salvage what is left of their homes and community on Monday (February 22) after Cyclone Winston tore through the Pacific island nation, killing at least 17 people, flattening remote villages and cutting off communications.
Asesela Sadole was huddled inside his house with his family as the winds tore the roof and walls away.
“We were inside the house so it was very strong, damaged everything, so we had to run for our lives in the church,” he said.
“There were eight of us including one old lady, so we had to carry the old lady to the church,” he added.
Aid agencies warned of a widespread health crisis, particularly in low-lying areas where thousands of Fiji’s 900,000 people live in tin shacks. Crops have been wiped out and fresh water supplies blocked.
Almost 8,000 people remained hunkered down in hundreds of evacuation centres across Fiji where they had headed before tropical cyclone Winston hit late on Saturday (February 20) with winds of up to 325 kph (200 mph).
The co-ordinator for the local community centre in Ba, Manpreeta Latakumar, said she was waiting for government help.
“I would like to ask the government for help, for assistance, as soon as possible,” she said.
The majority of the fatalities were along the western coast and were caused mainly by flying debris and drowning in storm surges, authorities said. There were also fears for seven fishermen believed to be missing at sea.
A 36-hour curfew was lifted early on Monday, allowing the Fijian military to ramp up efforts to reach the more remote parts of the archipelago of about 300 islands. Fiji also reopened its main airport at Nadi.
Lines of communication, however, are still in need of repair, raising grave fears that the news waiting for them will be dire, Pacific Regional Director of aid group Oxfam, Raijeli Nicole, told Reuters by telephone.
Nicole added on Monday that there were strong concerns that the death toll could still rise further, and that hundreds of people will have seen their homes and livelihoods completely destroyed.
Food and water supplies are a growing concern, even for areas such as Suva that did not suffer as much damage as the more remote regions.
The Consumer Council of Fiji has urged traders not to sell food and other perishable items that have gone bad due to the effects of the cyclone. The Council’s chief executive Premila Kumar said supermarkets and other food stores should destroy such items.