-
Winds batter coconut palms in Fiji. Photo courtesy of Courtland Lee - Source: ONE News -
Watch Video
-
Related
A state of natural disaster has been declared in Fiji with tropical cyclone Tomas destroying 50 homes and 17,000 people evacuated, authorities say.
Early on Tuesday, Tomas was wreaking havoc some 200kms east of Suva, say senior forecaster for the Fiji Meteorological Service, Matt Boterhoven.
"It's at its closest point to the nation's capital," he says.
"Most of the action" was in the Lau group of islands, he says, with wind gusts peaking at about 230kms per hour.
Relief co-ordinator for the Fiji Disaster Management Office, Anthony Blake, says 17,000 people have sought shelter in over 240 evacuation centres set up around the South Pacific island nation.
On Monday the category four cyclone battered Fiji's northern division, destroying over 50 homes and causing "significant other damage".
"Power, water and sewer is out in most places," Blake says from his office in Suva, where he described the weather as windy and overcast.
Communication lines were also down, making it difficult to evaluate the full extent of the damage.
"We should have a better picture in the next 24 hours," he says.
The nation's Disaster Council, chaired by Fiji's self-appointed prime minister Frank Bainimarama, declared a state of natural disaster for the northern and eastern parts of the country on Tuesday morning, Blake says.
Cyclone Tomas claimed one life on Sunday when a woman drowned as huge waves crashed into the Vanua Levu coast.
Boterhoven says he had heard reports of eight metres storm surges and rising rivers in northern and eastern parts of the country.
Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith says people planning to travel to Fiji should "proceed with caution".
"We are, as we always are with Fiji, ready, willing and able to provide assistance if that is required as we have in the past with floods and cyclones and the like," he says.
The cyclone was heading south 300 kms south-west of Suva - avoiding any impact on the popular tourist destination of Nadi, Boterhoven says.
It should leave Fijian waters by Wednesday morning.
