Thousands flee as Cyclone Evan batters Fiji

Local resident Pita Turgagaviti clears away branches from a tree that collapsed on top of a car shelter outside a house in Laucala Bay Road near Suva on December 17, 2012 as a monster cyclone, Cyclone Evan, threatened the Pacific nation with “catastrophic damage” after causing devastation in Samoa. AFP / Joshua Kuku

SUVA – Thousands of people fled to evacuation centers in Fiji on Monday as a powerful cyclone lashed the Pacific nation, causing power outages and flash flooding, officials said.

Tropical Cyclone Evan pummelled the main island Viti Levu with winds exceeding 200 kilometers per hour (125 mph) bringing down trees, blocking roads and forcing all flights to be grounded at the popular tourist destination.

But Fijian authorities said there had been no reported casualties from the category four storm by late Monday, unlike in neighboring Samoa, where it killed at least four people late last week and left another 10 missing.

Government spokeswoman Sharon Smith-Johns, who earlier Monday told Fijians to “prepare for the worst”, said emergency planning appeared to have paid off, including moving hundreds of tourists from luxury resorts on outlying islands.

She said some 3,500 people were sheltering in well-stocked evacuation centers, locals appeared to be heeding warnings to avoid travel and all non-essential government personnel had been ordered to remain at home.

“We’ve had a week to prepare for this, so we’re as prepared as you can be,” she told Radio New Zealand.

Smith-Johns said that while the lack of early casualties was “encouraging”, the cyclone would continue to batter the west coast of Viti Levu overnight and there was no room for complacency.

“The extent of the damage I don’t think we’re going to know until tomorrow morning when we wake up and see how badly it has hit,” she said.

Meteorologists said the cyclone, packing gusts of up to 270 kilometers per hour (170 mph) near its center, was 30 kilometers offshore from Nadi, site of the main airport, where winds were reaching 200 kph.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center said Evan could generate 40 foot (12 meter) swells, creating a major flooding concern for authorities with high tide due at 10:00 pm (0900 GMT).

Nadi was swamped by another cyclone that killed five people in April and major flooding in the area last January claimed 11 lives.

The cyclone is thought to be the strongest to threaten Fiji since Cyclone Kina, which killed 23 people and left thousands homeless in 1993.