State of emergency declared in Fiji as Cyclone Tomas hits
State of emergency declared in Fiji as category four storm Cyclone Tomas rips through islands
Tuesday, 16, Mar 2010 10:56
By Sarah Garrod.
A state of emergency has been declared in Fiji as the category four storm Cyclone Tomas tore through the Pacific island nation.
Although the storm is expected to weaken, troops have launched a relief operation and thousands of people still remain in shelters.
The National Disaster Council said troops would be taking food to the worst hit areas, while 17,000 people were sheltered overnight from the category four storm which saw sea surges of up to 7m.
So far only one death has been reported in Fiji, although there are reported to be concerns about the islands of Cikobia and Qelelevu, as nothing has been heard from them since the cyclone hit there on Monday.
The Fijian government said in a statement this morning that all domestic shipping and civil aviation are still suspended until further notice, with the Nadi international airport the only which remains open.
A further statement read: "More than 10,000 people are now in 179 evacuation centres around the country according to figures released by DISMAC [National Disaster Management].
"As of this morning 117 people are in evacuation centres with the northern division having the highest numbers.
"6,887 people are in 118 evacuation centres in the Northern division while 494 evacuees are sheltering in nine centres in the eastern division, 19 evacuation centers occupied with 1,333 evacuees and 38 centres in the western division has 1,568 evacuees."
The UK Foreign Office says tropical cyclones are common in Fiji at this time of year. Almost 35,000 British nationals visit Fiji every year.