Cyclone leaves Fiji battered
The bill for the destruction caused by Cyclone Evan is expected to run into hundreds of millions of dollars.
Cyclone Evan tore through the Western Division on Monday leaving a trail of destruction in its wake, after wreaking havoc in the Northern Division.
The tourism industry, the hardest hit by the Category Five storm, has said the damage bill to the country is expected to be exorbitant.
Fiji Hotels and Tourism Association president Dixon Seeto told the Fiji Times with Samoa's damage bill tentatively pegged at $300 million, Fiji's would be significantly more.
"When you look at the areas that were affected from Rakiraki right through to Nadi, there are a lot of factories and industries situated in these areas. And you also have to factor in the fact that Fiji has more built-up areas," he said.
A total 8416 evacuees were recorded in 147 evacuation centres around Fiji as of Tuesday afternoon following the widespread devastation caused by Cyclone Evan.
In the Northern Division, 3715 evacuees were recorded 45 centres, 2064 evacuees in 53 centres in the Western Division, 2144 in 34 centres in the Central Division and 493 in 15 centres in the Eastern Division.
A state of natural disaster was declared Tuesday for the Western and Northern divisions.
National Disaster Management Office director Manasa Tagicakibau announced the declaration by the Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama.
Mr Tagicakibau said this was to allow authorities and stakeholders to speed up rehabilitation works in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Evan.
He said the State of natural disaster would be in effect for 15 days.
Ba and Tavua special administrator Arun Prasad said early warnings had led to people taking precautionary measures and moving stock to higher ground.
Meanwhile, in Lautoka, the Western operations centre established at Churchill Park had to be relocated after the roof of the iconic stadium was blown off at the height of the cyclone.
Lautoka special administrator Praveen Bala said his team's focus was clearing debris before moves would be made to address issues with municipal council properties.
"We want to ensure that business is brought back to normal as quickly as possible and clearing our roads immediately after the storm passes will ensure this happens. Once this has happened we will start fixing our properties," he said.
When this edition went to press at 10.30pm, gale force winds were still battering the Lautoka coastline, uprooting trees and bringing down both power and telecommunications lines.
Fiji's biggest sugar mill in Lautoka was not spared the wrath of Cyclone Evan with the roof of one its storage sheds ripped apart, leaving stacks of sugar sacks at the mercy of the elements.
The South Pacific Fertilisers building suffered the same fate as ones at the Fiji Sugar Corporation grounds.
In the Northern Division, people sat through a night of terror on Sunday before Cyclone Evan moved on to wreak havoc in the Western Division.
The clean-up was well underway in Labasa and outlying areas after Cyclone Evan moved on to the Western Division.
Lautoka was like a war zone on Tuesday after Evan had passed through. Debris had spilled onto the city's main street. Trees had fallen and roofs of some homes blown away.
Residents hung on though as strong wind smashed into the city and waves crashed onto the waterfront.
- additional reporting Fiji Times
The bill for the destruction caused by Cyclone Evan is expected to run into hundreds of millions of dollars.
Cyclone Evan tore through the Western Division on Monday leaving a trail of destruction in its wake, after wreaking havoc in the Northern Division.
The tourism industry, the hardest hit...
The bill for the destruction caused by Cyclone Evan is expected to run into hundreds of millions of dollars.
Cyclone Evan tore through the Western Division on Monday leaving a trail of destruction in its wake, after wreaking havoc in the Northern Division.
The tourism industry, the hardest hit by the Category Five storm, has said the damage bill to the country is expected to be exorbitant.
Fiji Hotels and Tourism Association president Dixon Seeto told the Fiji Times with Samoa's damage bill tentatively pegged at $300 million, Fiji's would be significantly more.
"When you look at the areas that were affected from Rakiraki right through to Nadi, there are a lot of factories and industries situated in these areas. And you also have to factor in the fact that Fiji has more built-up areas," he said.
A total 8416 evacuees were recorded in 147 evacuation centres around Fiji as of Tuesday afternoon following the widespread devastation caused by Cyclone Evan.
In the Northern Division, 3715 evacuees were recorded 45 centres, 2064 evacuees in 53 centres in the Western Division, 2144 in 34 centres in the Central Division and 493 in 15 centres in the Eastern Division.
A state of natural disaster was declared Tuesday for the Western and Northern divisions.
National Disaster Management Office director Manasa Tagicakibau announced the declaration by the Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama.
Mr Tagicakibau said this was to allow authorities and stakeholders to speed up rehabilitation works in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Evan.
He said the State of natural disaster would be in effect for 15 days.
Ba and Tavua special administrator Arun Prasad said early warnings had led to people taking precautionary measures and moving stock to higher ground.
Meanwhile, in Lautoka, the Western operations centre established at Churchill Park had to be relocated after the roof of the iconic stadium was blown off at the height of the cyclone.
Lautoka special administrator Praveen Bala said his team's focus was clearing debris before moves would be made to address issues with municipal council properties.
"We want to ensure that business is brought back to normal as quickly as possible and clearing our roads immediately after the storm passes will ensure this happens. Once this has happened we will start fixing our properties," he said.
When this edition went to press at 10.30pm, gale force winds were still battering the Lautoka coastline, uprooting trees and bringing down both power and telecommunications lines.
Fiji's biggest sugar mill in Lautoka was not spared the wrath of Cyclone Evan with the roof of one its storage sheds ripped apart, leaving stacks of sugar sacks at the mercy of the elements.
The South Pacific Fertilisers building suffered the same fate as ones at the Fiji Sugar Corporation grounds.
In the Northern Division, people sat through a night of terror on Sunday before Cyclone Evan moved on to wreak havoc in the Western Division.
The clean-up was well underway in Labasa and outlying areas after Cyclone Evan moved on to the Western Division.
Lautoka was like a war zone on Tuesday after Evan had passed through. Debris had spilled onto the city's main street. Trees had fallen and roofs of some homes blown away.
Residents hung on though as strong wind smashed into the city and waves crashed onto the waterfront.
- additional reporting Fiji Times
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