Tropical cyclones are the most common natural disasters within the Pacific region and Fiji has had (more than) its fair share of them over the past decades.
One of the worst to hit the country in recent memory was Cyclone Kina which loomed over Fiji in December 1992 and struck when people were ushering in the new year.
“Nine people including a week-old baby were confirmed dead yesterday as Cyclone Kina roared in from the west and cut a path of devastation across the country,” read the front page of The Fiji Times of January 4, 1993.
“Nine people are missing in Labasa.”
Two days later the death toll in Fiji rose to 19, mostly from drowning in flooded waterways.
Cyclone Kina was in fact responsible for causing one of Fiji’s greatest ever financial losses because of a natural disaster, with destruction or damage to houses, property, infrastructure and crops valued at near $F170 million ($US110 million).
Overall, deadly Kina took 26 lives in Fiji and Tonga.
According to Wikipedia during December 29, the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre reported that Cyclone Kina had reached its peak intensity with one-minute sustained wind speeds of 220 km/h (140 mph), which made the system equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane on the SSHWS.
“At around the same time TCWC Nadi also reported that the system had reached its initial peak intensity, with 10-minute sustained wind speeds of 150 km/h (90 mph) which made it a category 3 severe tropical cyclone on the Australian scale.
“The system subsequently remained at its peak intensity until early on December 31, when it started to weaken and move eastwards towards the Yasawa island group.”
Eventually the cyclone passed between Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, gradually weakening but by then it had left its deadly mark.
Fiji has also been hit with successive storms one after another, an example of which occurred in January 1985 when cyclones Eric and Nigel battered Viti Levu within a 36-hour period.
Wikipedia states that Eric was the first of two severe tropical cyclones to make landfall, on Viti Levu within 36 hours and was also the first of four tropical cyclones to impact Fiji during 1985. Cyclone Eric caused more than $40 million in damage and took 25 lives.
Nigel, the storm that followed closely in Eric’s wake would also cut a swathe of destruction across the main island of Viti Levu.
According to Wikipedia all relief efforts for cyclone Eric had to be suspended as the country braced for Nigel.
There were reportedly more than 1000 people holed up at the Nadi International Airport during the time Nigel made landfall on Viti Levu.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Gavin was the most intense tropical cyclone to affect Fiji, since Severe Tropical Cyclone Oscar of the 1982-83 cyclone season.
Gavin was the first of three tropical cyclones to affect the island nations of Tuvalu and Wallis and Futuna during the 1996-97 season.
Eighteen people died when Gavin hit Fiji including 10 people lost at sea when Fiji Fish vessel, the Wasawasa I, sank, while a further eight deaths were caused by landslides, electrocution, and drowning. Total damage was estimated at $F33.4m (US$23.7m and $AU30.1m).
Older Fiji citizens will never forget Hurricane Bebe, which caused much damage and flooding and was one of the few storms that actually returned to cause more problems.
Bebe hit on October 24, 1972, a day after two men who murdered Nausori school teacher Evelyn Nair were jailed for life, a notorious case that was then much publicised.
But Bebe was deadlier than the two killers, taking 13 lives
“A father and daughter died at Koronubu, eight miles from Ba, on Tuesday night after their house blew away with the entire family trapped inside,” The Fiji Times of October 26, 1972 reported.
“And in another tragedy near Ba, a mother and son were crushed to death at Karavi when the roof of their house collapsed.”
According to Wikipedia Hurricane Bebe’s course began along a south-southwest trajectory before recurving near the 14th parallel south, which resulted in a south-southeast motion through the western portion of Fiji.
It became the first hurricane to impact Fiji since 1952. On October 24, winds of 150 knots (280 km/h) or more were reported on Rotuma and Viti Levu.
The hurricane that hit Fiji in 1952 was unamed but it surely packed a punch with 150-miles-an-hour strong winds which wrecked dozens of settlements and an acute shortage of food that followed was inevitable in many areas.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald of January 30, 1952 that storm killed twelve people, “Fijians and Indians, are known to have been killed, and several hundred were injured”. The newspaper reported damage on Viti Levu in excess of over £1,250,000.
“Fijian food gardens were wiped out in all populated regions where the hurricane struck,” the newspaper reported.
As monster Cyclone Pam threatens our shores en route from the Vanuatu, fingers must surely be crossed around the country.
Our collective experiences of recovering from big storm events should certainly work in our favour.
