RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service

Situation Update No. 3

Posted:2010-03-14, 11:18:41 [UTC]

Ref.no.: TC-20100314-25326-FJI

Situation Update No. 3
On 2010-03-15 at 04:19:36 [UTC]

Event: Tropical Storm
Location: Fiji Fiji-wide

Number of Deads: 1 person(s)

Fiji's main centres were put under curfew overnight as the South Pacific nation braced for a powerful cyclone expected to pass over the north and east of the country, officials said Monday. Cyclone Tomas was located about 185 kilometres (115 miles) northeast of the town of Labasa on the northern island of Vanua Levu at 7:00 am (1800 Sunday GMT). "Fiji has not faced a cyclone this strong lately, and we are not taking this thing lightly," Fiji Disaster Management Office director Pajiliai Dobui told Radio New Zealand. There were reports of power cuts on Vanua Levu and damage to houses on outlying islands as the cyclone approached. The category four cyclone, the second most powerful on a five point scale, was estimated to have average winds of 170 kilometres an hour, and was expected to intensify to 205 kilometres an hour over the next 12 to 24 hours, the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) said. The cyclone was moving south at 11 kilometres an hour and was expected to be centred about 60 kilometres east of Labasa by evening, the FMS said. The government declared an overnight curfew but this was lifted in most areas Monday morning to allow people to stock up on emergency supplies. Schools were closed and most public services suspended as the country prepared for strong winds and flooding.