By Kassi Berg
Just after Super Typhoon Bopha made its landing in the North Pacific, buy the South Pacific was giving birth to Cyclone Evan. This week Cyclone Evan hit two Pacific island nations resulting in a state of disaster being declared in both Samoa and Fiji. By the time it made its way to Fiji, pills Cyclone Evan had geared up to a category 4 storm.
There were no reported casualties in Fiji, unlike in neighboring Samoa, who had less time to prepare for Evan’s wrath. In Samoa, sadly, Evan killed four people and left 10 “missing at sea” (the search has already been called off). Three thousand Samoans have been left homeless.
After Samoa, Evan set course to Fiji and smacked it with gusts of wind of 125 miles per hour. The cyclone was said to have lasted for approximately 12 hours. Evan tore the roofs off of houses and uprooted trees and sent them flying mid-air. The Cyclone damaged bridges, roads, and power lines. East of Suva, the Rewa Delta River actually burst its banks in the wake of Cyclone Evan and Fiji’s military has since issued a flooding alert for everyone living in areas surrounding rivers to move to higher ground.
More than 8,000 people took shelter in Fiji and have now been told they can return to their homes; however, many may find their homes seriously damaged or uninhabitable. Thousands are expected to be left homeless. Fiji’s second largest city, Lautoka, has been described as a “war zone.”
Evans is said to be weakening as it continues its Pacific path toward New Zealand.
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