SUVA, Fiji (AP) The death toll from a powerful cyclone that battered the Pacific island nation of Fiji last week has risen to four with one missing, an official said Sunday.
Fiji closed schools and urged people to stock up on emergency supplies on Wednesday as a potentially devastating cyclone was due to hit the island nation within days.
Tropical Cyclone Yasa left destruction in its wake at Daku Primary School.
Fijians in New Zealand, collecting relief supplies for villages devastated by Tropical Cyclone Yasa, are worried they may miss out on a special duty concession if their shipment arrives late in Fiji. The Fijian government placed an exemption on importations and donations of all disaster relief goods on December 16, for 30 days, relieving them of duty charges to benefit Fijians genuinely impacted by Tropical Cyclone Yasa. The exemption expires on January 15 and there has been no indication from Fiji’s National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) of whether it will be extended.
Pacific – Cyclone Yasa ETC Situation Report #2 Reporting period 22–28 December 2020
Format
Highlights
·The response community – including the ETC – is operating from two Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs) set up in Nabouwalu and Labasa in Vanua Levu, the island worst-hit by Cyclone Yasa.
·The ETC Coordinator for the Pacific has been on the ground in Vanua Levu since 19 December. The coordinator deployed from 26-27 December on assessment missions to eight sites across Vanua Levu to assess the impact of Cyclone Yasa on the coverage of mobile and data connectivity services.
·Alongside Fiji’s National Disaster Management Office (NDMO), the ETC is working with Fiji’s Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to establish connectivity needs and is ready to support with their recovery, if required.