Radio NZ, Wed 14 Feb -Fiji’s Red Cross has grave concerns for people on the Southern Lau islands of Ono-i-Lau and Vatoa, after communications went down.
Fiji’s Red Cross says its volunteers are getting out into communities hit by Cyclone Gita to understand what help people need.
Fiji’s weather service has cancelled its cyclone warning for the southern island group and the storm is expected to pass directly south of the main islands overnight.
The cyclone has been upgraded to a category five – the highest possible -and is moving west out into open waters.
None of the Kadavu, Matuku and Moala Islands should be directly hit, but they would experience gale force winds of up to 120 kilometres per hour.
But communication was cut to the Southern Lau islands – about halfway between Tonga and Fiji – Tuesday afternoon with winds gusting to 275 kilometres an hour.
The head of the Fiji Red Cross, Filipe Nainoca, said winds drove storm surges, which could inundate atolls.
The devastation in Tonga showed just how vulnerable these lower-lying islands were.
“These are atolls and the biggest concern is the surge waves that are being generated by this wind and if it’s going to be there for an extended period of time then we could expect that the impact on the community could be devastating.”
Mr Nainoca said it would be Thursday at the earliest before communications could be re-established to assess the needs of about 400 people on each island.
The storm of category four force, ripped roofs off houses and destroyed a Catholic church.
Communication lost
The medical officer for Fiji’s Southern Lau group said if remote islands lost telephone contact due to Cyclone Gita they would lose direct contact with doctors.
Dexter Chute, who is based at Lakeba Hospital, said nursing staff on the at-risk islands of Votoa and Ono-I-Lau relied upon telephone instruction for serious medical cases.
They appeared to have lost telephone contact this afternoon.
Dr Chute said without telephone links, nursing staff would be the only medical help available.
“They are unable to come over to our hospital with outboard engine boat, it’s just too far and the seas will be way too rough. It’s a far greater risk to try and bring them over in that way. We used to have an RT which would cover for the group but unfortunately it’s not working at the moment.”
The last time a category five cyclone hit the Pacific was in February 2016 when Cyclone Winston killed 44 people in Fiji.Read in RadioNZ
