THREE sisters dived for dear life under their bed as their parents helplessly watched strong winds of Tropical Cyclone Sarai rip their house apart on Friday night.
The strong winds that swirled through the rice farm at Muanidevo, Dreketi, Macuata had been compared with the descending noise of a plane.
About midnight on Friday, Nishcal Prasad ran to the kitchen window and called his wife to see a plane flying over Dreketi.
“We all thought it was a plane because we looked towards the direction of where the wind was coming from and it had lights,” he said.
“Our eldest daughter also came to join us but within seconds we were standing in a naked room with no walls or roof.
“I looked for my daughter but she had disappeared. She had run into the room to protect her two younger sisters by pulling them under the bed.”
Mr Prasad said the lights could have been lightning.
“I ran into the room and saw my daughters under the bed, frightened. I hugged them and assured them that all was OK.
“But it wasn’t easy because it was dark and we had to look for our phones to provide some light. Our kitchen sink, counter, cupboards and dishes were thrown out into the farm by this strong wind and it’s the first time for me to experience such a hurricane.
“My daughter’s school stuff and our clothes have also been damaged. But my first focus was to repair the house and with the help of other farmers, we were able to repair the rooms. We will repair the whole house once I am able to do that financially.”
Acting Commissioner Northern Uraia Rainima said they have received the report of the Prasad family.
“We are aware and we have moved them to the evacuation centre in the farming area,” he said.
“We continue to plead with people to adhere to weather warning and keep children indoors.”
The family can be contacted on 2033967 or 9871437.
If you wish to offer any monetary assistance you can do so through the following HFC Bank account 24947S2
