Cyclone Tomas has left a trail of destruction across parts of Fiji overnight.
Over a dozen houses have been flattened either as a result of strong winds or trees falling on them, reports from Fiji say. More ha 6000 people have been evacuated and are taking shelter in school buildings in the most affected parts of the country, especially the northern region.
The cyclone has caused such high sea surges that sea walls have been breached at several places along the eastern coast of Viti Levu. The sea wall in Ovalau has been breached for the first ever time. Sea surges necessitated some of the population to be shifted to higher ground on Lakeba island.
Telecommunication services in some parts of Vanua Levu and Northern Lau group have been affected and Telecom Fiji's antennas that provide voice and data services have been damaged in Labasa, Delailablasa, Mataniwai, Labeka, Savusavu and Delaimaravu. Engineers are reported to be working to restore services, though the extent of the damage is yet to be assessed.
A hurricane warning remains in force for the eastern half of Vanua Levu, Cikobia, Taveuni, Rabi, Kioa, Yacata, Koro, Gau, Batiki, Nairai, Wakaya, Makogai and nearby smaller islands while a storm warning is in force for the rest of Vanua Levu, Ovalau, Lakeba, Vanua Balavu, Moala, Matuku, Totoya, Cicia and nearby smaller islands.
The Category 4 storm has been described as worse than Hurricane Katrina that devastated New Orleans in the United States. It is moving in the southerly direction toward the Lau group of islands this morning.
