Much of Fiji blacked out, 4,000 homeless after cyclone
December 16th, 2009 - 12:25 pm ICT by IANSWellington, Dec 16 (DPA) More than 80 percent of Fiji was without electricity and nearly 4,000 people remained in evacuation centres Wednesday in the wake of Cyclone Mick, according to reports from the capital Suva.
The island state began assessing the damage after the first cyclone of the season brought winds gusting to 150 km an hour and torrential rains to much of the country Monday and Tuesday.
The cyclone may be responsible for five deaths, with two people reportedly washed away by floodwaters, two fishermen missing after going out in a boat despite weather warnings and an 18-year-old youth killed by a falling tree.
The nation’s food crops were severely damaged, the Reserve Bank’s governor Sada Reddy said Wednesday, warning that the price of vegetables and other foods was bound to rise, the Fiji Times website reported.
“The cyclone may have some adverse effects on tourism and agro-based industries,” Reddy said. “The full impact on the economy is difficult to assess at this stage but it will have some downside effects.”
- More than 10,000 evacuated in Fiji cyclone - Mar 16, 2010
- Four killed in Fiji cyclone - Dec 15, 2009
- Andhra on alert as cyclone 'Thane' threatens coast (Lead) - Dec 27, 2011
- Emergency declared in cyclone-hit Fiji (Lead) - Mar 16, 2010
- High tidal waves lash Andhra coast - Dec 28, 2011
- Coastal Andhra braces for cyclone 'Thane' (Lead) - Dec 28, 2011
- Cyclone Yasi to hit Queensland town - Feb 02, 2011
- Landslide destroys power lines in central Fiji - Apr 02, 2012
- Cyclone hits northern Australia - Feb 16, 2011
- Five evacuation teams deployed in Andhra - Nov 06, 2010
- Fiji's massage parlours operating as brothels - Feb 28, 2011
- 5.9-magnitude quake hits Fiji region - Mar 27, 2011
- Navy rescues 11 fishermen, Andhra coast on high alert (Lead) - Dec 29, 2011
- Andhra faces cyclone threat, 16 killed in rains (Lead) - Nov 02, 2010
- Andhra escapes cyclone fury (Lead) - Dec 30, 2011
Tags: adverse effects, agro based industries, capital suva, cyclone, deaths, downside, dpa, economy, electricity, evacuation centres, fiji times, food crops, homeless, torrential rains, tourism, two fishermen, vegetables, weather warnings, wellington