March 10, 2016 Thursday

Storm hits Fiji - level 3

Here can be seen the devastating impact of Cyclone Winston on Fiji. Buildings flattened, trees blown over and homes destroyed. The cyclone has ravaged the South Pacific island, killing upwards of 18 people and leaving others to come to terms with the destruction.

“Power lines have gone down all over the country and roofing, iron, glass, live electric wires and other hazardous materials pose serious threats to public safety. We are working hard to make their streets and community secure once again, but that will take time.”

According to The Weather Underground website, Cyclone Winston is the strongest storm in the Southern Hemisphere since record-keeping began, making access to the island’s more remote communities complicated.

In Winston's wake, authorities and civilians get to grips with the scale of disaster after a government-imposed curfew had been lifted. It's thought that as many as 8,000 people are holed up in evacuation centers across the islands.

“I’d like to ask the government for help, for assistance, as soon as possible.”

Fijians have been left startled by the extent of damage of the almost 200-mile per hour winds (322 kilometers per hour). For the residents of the hundred inhabited islands of Fiji, there's nothing to do but wait patiently for supplies.

Difficult words: devastating (destructive), impact (an effect), ravage (to cause great damage), come to terms (to accept), hazardous (dangerous), remote (far from another place), wake (the situation afterwards), authorities (leaders of an area), curfew (a rule which does not allow people to go out at night), lift (to stop something), holed up (hidden), startled (shocked), extent (the size), inhabited (somewhere that people live).