INITIAL damage assessments of Queen Victoria School reveal that it could take months for all the facilities in the school to be repaired.
Yesterday, students cleaned the school and their dormitories. Most said their belongings had been destroyed by Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston. One was wearing his bed sheet with most students missing their homes.
Central divisional education officer Serupepeli Udre said the school had lost historical monuments dating back to 1908.
Detailing his experience, Mr Udre said Hurricane Bebe in 1972 was nothing compared with the devastation brought about by TC Winston and the damage it had left behind in just a few hours. He was a third former in QVS then.
Students of the all-boys school said they would remember for the rest of their lives the four-hour ordeal brought about by TC Winston on Saturday night.
The school has been closed and emergency strategies were being put in place to ensure the 716 students who board at the school were sent home as soon as possible.
School principal Silivio Vueti said the school had been severely damaged including all the school building — 29 teachers’ quarters, classroom blocks, library and hostels.
“This is the first time I have seen such a monstrous cyclone in the history of the school. It (Severe TC Winston) destroyed everything it could in about four hours,” he said.
He said the school had enough supply of food but this was not provided to students on time because their dining facility had been destroyed by TC Winston. The students were eager to hear news from the “outside world” and asked The Fiji Times team for updates on the cyclone.
Some students fell back on green coconuts to quench their thirst and relieve their hunger.
