Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/03/17/2847839.htm
Death toll may rise in cyclone-battered Fiji
By Carly Laird and staff
Posted 3 hours 33 minutes ago
There is significant damage to schools and hospitals and dozens of homes have been destroyed.
Disaster management officials in Fiji say they have received reports of several deaths in the powerful category four cyclone that has battered the island nation for four days.
The deaths are believed to have occurred in the Lau group of islands, but police say they will not be able to confirm them until communications are restored.
At least 50 homes, as well as hospitals and other public buildings, have been destroyed by Cyclone Tomas and 17,000 people have been evacuated to more than 200 shelters...
...Mr Sutton says there is likely to be around 130,000 people affected by the cyclone and even when the worst of the cyclone is over, there will still be dangers.
"The Lau group are the islands to the east of Fiji. They're very low lying, very, very vulnerable to this type of event," he said.
"Mainly village areas, small towns, a lot of farming. We know there's been a lot of damage to food crops. It's not a built-up area like Suva or Nadi. It's small towns and villages.
"Fiji has been suffering from an outbreak of typhoid for the last month or so, so with people congregating in evacuation centres there is the potential for that also to explode.
"And I know the minister of health has been very active in getting messages out to people in the evacuation centres to practice good hygiene, boil water, because there is a huge risk that by concentrating people in these cramped conditions we could also have an explosion of typhoid."
Death toll may rise in cyclone-battered Fiji
By Carly Laird and staff
Posted 3 hours 33 minutes ago
There is significant damage to schools and hospitals and dozens of homes have been destroyed.
Disaster management officials in Fiji say they have received reports of several deaths in the powerful category four cyclone that has battered the island nation for four days.
The deaths are believed to have occurred in the Lau group of islands, but police say they will not be able to confirm them until communications are restored.
At least 50 homes, as well as hospitals and other public buildings, have been destroyed by Cyclone Tomas and 17,000 people have been evacuated to more than 200 shelters...
...Mr Sutton says there is likely to be around 130,000 people affected by the cyclone and even when the worst of the cyclone is over, there will still be dangers.
"The Lau group are the islands to the east of Fiji. They're very low lying, very, very vulnerable to this type of event," he said.
"Mainly village areas, small towns, a lot of farming. We know there's been a lot of damage to food crops. It's not a built-up area like Suva or Nadi. It's small towns and villages.
"Fiji has been suffering from an outbreak of typhoid for the last month or so, so with people congregating in evacuation centres there is the potential for that also to explode.
"And I know the minister of health has been very active in getting messages out to people in the evacuation centres to practice good hygiene, boil water, because there is a huge risk that by concentrating people in these cramped conditions we could also have an explosion of typhoid."