Students stranded in Cakaudrove
A group of students from the University of the South Pacific are currently stranded in Fiji’s Cakaudrove Province after Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasa wreaked havoc on the island overnight. READ MORE
A group of students from the University of the South Pacific are currently stranded in Fiji’s Cakaudrove Province after Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasa wreaked havoc on the island overnight.
The students were on an educational tour in the province of Cakaudrove when the category 5 cyclone made a direct hit on the island.
Sala Banuve, a postgraduate student, said she was safe with her daughter at the evacuation center provided.
“Three of us from USP and my daughter are the ones left here in Taveuni while 18 students are being sheltered in Vatulele village in Wailevu,” she said via messenger.
“We are here at the Niusawa Methodist High School and people from the Barotu settlement said that farms have been damaged and few roofs blown away.
“People are still waiting for the rain and strong wind to stop so that they can go and see what is left to save.”
Ten regional students that had accompanied the USP Cakaudrove Students Association on the tour have safely returned home following the advice of its President Sakeo Taganeca when the cyclone warning was issued.
“We prioritize the safety of our students so we have sent some of them home before anything bad can happen. Students from other provinces are here with me at home,” he said.
“We are planning to carry out a cleanup campaign after the cyclone passes us while we wait for the boat to resume operation.
He said some parents have been calling to ask for the safety of their children, he assured them that they are in good hands. They are being sheltered in a church compound where Taganeca’s father works as a reverend.
“Our students speak to their families’ everyday so that they don’t feel sick or anything. Communication for us has been good and we look forward to getting through this together.
“All the 38 of us that came on this trip are safe.”
According to the National Disaster Management Office, 23,479 Fijians are in evacuation centres around the country.
More than 400 evacuation centres are currently housing 3316 households. The Northern Division has 3534 evacuees in 75 evacuation centres. The Eastern Division has 2291 evacuees in 51 evacuation centres. The Western Division has 12,396 evacuees in 192 evacuation centres and the Central Division has 5258 evacuees in 139 evacuation centres.
Meanwhile, the NDMO declared a state of Natural Disaster on December 17 as it had expected TC Yasa to make a landfall in Vanua Levu.
Editors Note: Some of the students are still on Cakaudrove while others have been moved to Savusavu.
