1 Dead as Tropical Cyclone Winston Tears Through Fiji; State of Emergency Declared amid Severe Wind and Flooding Damage

Eric Chaney and Anna Norris
Published: February 20,2016
Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Winston made landfall in Fiji on Saturday, killing one man and injuring at least one other person. Strong winds and flooding have caused severe damage across the island nation.

Trees have fallen, blocking roads in Fiji's capital. (Twitter/VFR VERT Rescue)

A man died after a roof fell on him during the storm, the Fiji Broadcasting Company reported. Officials confirmed this has been the only reported death due to the cyclone, and more details are to be expected in the morning, local time. Another man was hospitalized after hit by a flying object on Saturday night, FBC reported; officials are warning the public not to go outside as strong winds continue and downed power lines pose a risk of electric shock.
The strongest cyclone ever recorded in Fiji, Winston struck the country's largest island and its capital of Suva on Saturday evening. The government has declared a state of emergency and a nationwide curfew of 6 p.m. A monthlong state of disaster has also been declared.
The Fiji Times reported trees and power lines down, and roofs blown off by the 180 mph winds in the Rakiraki district; in Kausori and Korovou, entire houses have been blown away, while rising floodwaters remain a concern.
(FORECAST: Tropical Cyclone Winston)

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Five of the teachers' quarters in the Nabasovi District School were completely destroyed, one blown down and another missing its roof, the FBC reported. All teachers residing in the buildings took shelter in a classroom.
Flooding has extended into hospitals in the Bua Province, according to FBC, and mobile networks are down.
As flood warnings are in effect, the Fiji Times reported that police teams are out and helping residents all throughout the country, though widespread communications issues are interfering with police efforts to assist residents of the outer islands.

Roads are inundated with water as waves crash along the coast. (Twitter/VFR VERT Rescue)

The roads in Savusavu are in bad condition. Streets have been washed out, and a bus was even washed inland by a wave, according to FBC. "All evacuation centers across the country have been activated and people are currently being accommodated in these centers," the Fijian government said on its Facebook page. The government has also reported roads blocked by falling trees, stating that roads would be repaired after the cyclone cleared the area.
All flights in and out of Fiji have been canceled, The Age reported.
The island nation has a population of about 900,000 people.
The storm damaged homes and power lines on the island of Vava'u in the neighboring country of Tonga earlier this week.
According to Matangi Tonga Online, trees and power lines were brought down and homes were damaged in Vava'u, but officials said they haven't confirmed any injuries.
Hundreds of residents went into shelters during the storm, and hurricane-force wind gusts were reported on the island early Tuesday morning, Matangi Tonga Online also said.

NASA satellite imagery showed Winston had a large eye with tightly curved, strong bands of thunderstorms wrapping into the center.
(NASA/NOAA/NRL)

“We are thankful there has been no report of lives lost or injuries in all of the islands,” Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Siaosi Sovaleni told Parliament.


































The tropical cyclone's eye is now pulling away from Viti Levu and conditions are expected to slowly improve.
Fiji's National Disaster Management office said more than 700 evacuation centers across the country were prepared and are on standby in the four regions, Radio New Zealand reported.
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