Fiji imposes curfew as it prepares for major cyclone to hit
Fiji has imposed a nationwide curfew after urging people near the coast to move to higher ground as the island nation prepares for a major cyclone to hit
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Fiji imposed a nationwide curfew Thursday after urging people near the coast to move to higher ground as the island nation prepared for a major cyclone to hit.
Cyclone Yasa was expected to hit the two main islands of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu later Thursday or early Friday. Authorities imposed an overnight curfew and declared a state of natural disaster.
The National Disaster Management Office warned the cyclone could bring waves as high as 16 meters (52 feet) in some places and sustained winds of up to 250 kilometers per hour (155 mph), with gusts hitting 350 kph (217 mph).
In the capital Suva, many residents were experiencing power cuts.
Michael Cheer, who owns the Samabula Cake Shop, was moving cakes into his car so he could take them home and put them into a cooler, rather than driving them across the island to deliver them to another town.
“It’s gonna be really rough. Today is delivery day, and I was supposed to go to Nadi, but I can’t go west," Cheer said. "The power is off. Over 100 cakes could be ruined.”
Many had memories of Cyclone Winston, which hit in 2016 and killed more than 40 people. Stephanie Brown and her family were busy boarding up their home in preparation, saying it's something they do regularly for cyclones.
“This is the usual, but we never know," Brown said. "The storm might turn around and hit us like Winston.”
Akshay Kumar, co-owner of the Grillenium Authentic Food House, said Winston was bad and he was expecting another strong storm.
“It’s gonna affect business bigtime in the food industry,” Kumar said. "People are not roaming around. They’re prepping for the cyclone.”
Located about one-third of the way between New Zealand and Hawaii, Fiji has a population of about 930,000.
___
Perry reported from Wellington, New Zealand