The sound of tearing corrugated iron still haunts Sevanesh Kumar as his family reels from the devastation left by Tropical Cyclone Vaianu, which impacted Lautoka just two days ago.
The Johnson Rd resident was emotional as he described the terror of Tuesday morning, when fierce winds ripped the roof from their home within minutes.
“It was around 6.30 or 7 when the wind became really strong, and all of a sudden, we just heard like the sounds of the corrugated iron being torn up,” he said.
“I shouted to my parents because my room was just beside the area where the roof was blown off, and then I crouched under the bed because I thought the whole house may get blown away.”
The family of six was trapped inside as the front of the house began to collapse.
“We tried to come out, but the corrugated iron had blocked the front door, so we had to look from the windows.
“That’s we saw that the trees had also been uprooted by the strong winds.
Despite heavy-duty cables securing the house, the cyclone caused severe damage.
“We had to walk back and forth the whole night with basins and buckets because of the leakages.”
The emotional toll is heavy, particularly for his parents, who spent years building the home.
“We’ll have to take loans to rebuild because we can’t take any more risks.”
His uncle, Sundeep Saresh Kumar’s new home was also damaged.
“All I heard was a whirling sound before part of the roof was taken by the wind, luckily everyone was safe.
“I’m just worried because I had just built this house last year, and it was hard because I am a heart patient.”
