Cyclone Evan - Special Report 12/17/12

Published on Dec 16, 2012
Cyclone Evan has hammered Fiji's second largest city, Lautoka, with destructive winds which have ripped roofs off buildings, toppled trees and sent a house flying through the air.Tourist resorts on many of Fiji's palm-fringed islands have been evacuated and authorities set up more than 60 evacuation centres ahead of the biggest cyclone in 20 years to hit the Pacific island nation.

The west of Fiji's main island, Viti Levu, had "taken a beating", Fiji Times editor-in-chief Fred Wesley said.

"Lautoka city looks like a war zone - trees all over the place, roofs off buildings. It's something a lot of people there never expected. They didn't expect the cyclone to hit them to that extent," Wesley said.

"According to people on the ground ... they have never seen anything like this.

"Very, very strong winds, waves, rain, but I think what's worrying was the very, very strong winds," he said.

"For buildings to lose their roofs like that, it's a reflection of how powerful the cyclone was."

So far there had not been any reports of casualties as a result of the storm.