Fiji cyclone recovery teams start heading into disaster area

[Stacey King]

Updated March 17, 2010 17:26:28

In Fiji disaster management teams are on their way to the northern and eastern islands, as Cyclone Tomas moves out of the area. It's suspected the Lau group of islands is worst hit, but the massive category four storm has completely severed communcations. Eye witness reports from the north east of Vanua Levu described huge waves of up to eight metres breaking through sea walls and winds gusting to more than two-hundred kilometres per hour.

There's also reports of extensive damage to homes, schools and hospitals, with 17-thousand people taking shelter in evacuation centres. To make matters worse, parts of Fiji hit by Cyclone Tomas were already suffering from an outbreak of typhoid.


Presenter, Paul Allen
Tim Sutton, deputy representative for UNICEF
Red Cross disaster program manager Vuli Gauna

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