Fiji Declares State of Natural Disaster as Cyclone Yasa Approaches

By Staff, Agencies

Fiji declared a state of natural disaster on Thursday, ordering its entire population to take shelter ahead of a nightly curfew as a potentially devastating cyclone approached the Pacific Island nation.

Cyclone Yasa, a top category five storm, is expected to bring winds of up to 250 km per hour and torrential rain across the South Pacific archipelago when it makes landfall overnight.

Still a few hours out from the worst weather, Fiji’s Meteorological Service said storm force winds and heavy rains have been recorded in some parts of the country already.

Images shared on social media showed roads blocked by landslides, floodwaters and fallen trees.

By 8 pm, the center of Yasa is forecast to be 100 km east of the village of Yasawa-i-Rara and potentially over Fiji’s fifth-most populous province of Bua, home to 15,000 people, Fiji’s National Disaster Management Office said.

Reinforcing the threat, Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama told the country’s near 1 million population to find safe shelter ahead of a 14-hour nationwide curfew beginning 4 pm.

“The impact for this super storm is more or less the entire country,” Bainimarama said in a video posted to Facebook.

Yasa would “easily surpass” the strength of 2016’s Cyclone Winston, he added, referring to the southern hemisphere’s most intense tropical storm on record, which killed more than 40 Fijians and left tens of thousands of people homeless.

The curfew order was given as part of the state of natural disaster order, which will run for 30 days.

Over 95% of the population live in the direct path of Yasa, said Bainimarama, adding weather forecasts anticipated flash flooding and “severe coastal inundation” that included waves up to 10 meters high.

Residents in the areas deemed most at risk said the warnings have been heeded.

Fiji banned the running of public transport, and was taking precautions with some 50 foreign yachts moored in the southern part of the island chain.