Fiji evacuation plan saves villagers’ lives
An evacuation plan on a set of tiny Fijian islands could be responsible for no lives being lost in Cyclone Gita.
The category 4 cyclone swept over Fiji on Tuesday night. The lowlying atolls of Ono-i-Lau and Vatoa were directly in its path and received the most damage.
The New Zealand Government has more than doubled the aid allocated for response to the cyclone. Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said New Zealand would contribute a further $1.5 million bringing the total to $2.25m.
Three homes were destroyed and an unknown number of buildings suffered some damage on Ono-i-Lau and Vatoa. No injuries have been reported.
Fiji Red Cross secretary-general Filipe Nainoca said if it wasn’t for the evacuation plan the outcome would have been far worse.
“If there was no plan, lives could have been lost.
“Preparedness works. Having the communities have a plan and understand the dangers and knowledge works. This is something we must continue to do in Fiji.”
Nainoca said weather information was communicated through intermittent radio announcements. People were told where evacuation centres were. By 9pm on Monday people on the two islands were spread between five schools and community halls being used as evacuation centres.
The plan came from the commissioner of Fiji’s Eastern Division.
An assessment team of Red Cross personnel and people appointed by the Government will set out to the worst-hit islands as soon as weather allows travel by boat.
Nainoca expected they would leave today or tomorrow and spend about a week visiting people and surveying the damage. The Eastern Division commissioner would then decide who would pay for the damage, Nainoca said.
Looking forward, infrastructure needed to be strengthened to endure cyclones better, Nainoca said.
“There’s nothing you can do about the weather, but you can strengthen the homes.”
Meanwhile Tonga is in the midst of the mop-up after Gita destroyed homes, flattened government buildings and devastated churches.
Reports indicate about 50,000 people or almost 70 per cent of Tonga’s population have been affected, a third of them children.
Oxfam’s country director for Tonga, Jane Foster, said water supplies across the main island of Tongatapu suffered significant damage, which brought with it the risk of further outbreaks of waterborne diseases.
“The impact of this severe storm will be felt on many people’s livelihoods for a long time to come.
“There is a real risk of a second disaster from water and mosquitoborne illnesses like dengue.”
Cyclone Gita is moving away slowly from the Fiji area but will come very close to Noumea, New Caledonia and southern parts of Vanuatu, according to WeatherWatch.
It is looking more likely it will hit New Zealand from the west on Tuesday or Wednesday next week. The storm will weaken slowly over the Tasman Sea but could still be a Category 1 or 2 cyclone bringing heavy rain.