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Cyclone Winston cuts path of destruction across Fiji

Countries
Fiji
+ 6 more
Sources
OCHA
Publication date

Highlights

• On 20 and 21 February Category 5 Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston cut a path of destruction across Fiji.

• The cyclone is estimated to be one of the most severe ever to hit the South Pacific.

• 36 people have been confirmed dead.

• At least 2 people are missing.

• Aid has begun arriving in cyclone affected communities, especially the outer islands in the east including Koro.

• Some 35,000 people are currently sheltering in 424 evacuation centres.

• 97 schools have been damaged or destroyed.

• 100 per cent of crops are reported destroyed in the worst affected areas.

• A 30 day State of Natural Disaster has been declared.

Situation Overview

Four days after Tropical Cyclone Winston cut a path of destruction across Fiji, relief supplies are flowing to affected communities. Military assets from Australia and New Zealand have arrived in the country for use in aerial surveillance and the distribution of relief supplies. National Clusters are actively engaged in the work of clarifying need and prioritizing their responses in a complex logistics operation spanning hundreds of remote islands. Shelter is emerging as a key issue for the humanitarian community with almost 35,000 people now sheltering in evacuation centres, which are mostly schools. The Government has indicated that returning students to their classrooms is a top priority for the response over the coming days. The humanitarian community is now working through the Fiji National Cluster system to ensure protection and WASH issues in these centres are addressed and plans are put in place for longer term accommodation. Intermittent essential services, as well as access and communications difficulties, remain a constraint for assessments and the delivery of relief.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.