Ten years on, the memory of that night in February 2016 remains painfully vivid for 58-year-old Simeli Batibula, then Turaga ni Koro of Boitaci Village in Vanuabalavu, Lau.
For him, the storm was not only a test of survival but a test of leadership, a night when he carried the lives of nearly 80 villagers on his shoulders, but still lost four loved ones.
With a small radio as the village’s only link to warnings, Mr Batibula urgently called the community together, urging everyone to shelter in one central location so he could account for every family.
“It was a very challenging time for me,” he said.
“I had my own family to worry about, but I also carried the responsibility of the entire village.”
Despite his warnings, his uncle Gauna Bale and his wife Salaseini Tavo chose to remain in their home, joined by two other villagers, Sakiusa Veiqaravi and Temolesi Lesi.
That decision proved fatal: all four perished in the cyclone, becoming Boitaci’s casualties of Tropical Cyclone Winston.
“Many other villagers were hurt, and I also got hurt that night.
“The clothes I had on that night were all I had left of my belongings.”
When dawn broke, only four homes and the church were left standing.
With no assistance for two weeks, the elderly, children and injured sheltered in the church while men salvaged pine, timber, and roofing iron to begin rebuilding.
The four who died were buried nearby, with a proper memorial held a year later.
Today, Mr Batibula shares disaster preparedness lessons through the Red Cross, determined that the pain of that night and the loss of his uncle and the three others will guide Boitaci toward a safer future.
