14 DAY TRIAL // Having hit Samoa only last week, where it caused major damages and killed four people, cyclone Evan is now battering the Pacific island nation of Fiji.
The first urban area this tropical cyclone hit was Fiji's second largest city, Lautoka. Being a category four cyclone, Evan brought with it destructive winds, rain and flooding.
Meteorologists agree that, judging by its destructive power, Evan can and should be referred to as the biggest cyclone to hit Fiji in a period of 20 years.
Editor-in-chief Fred Wesley, presently working with the Fiji Times, made a case of how, “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,” sources report.
“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 went on to add.
For the time being, Fiji reported no human casualties as a result of this cyclone, and local authorities hope that, once Evan leaves this island nation, the only losses Fijians will have to come to terms with will be the ones having to do with structural damages.
Prior to the storm's hitting this island nation, tourists were evacuated and locals were asked to take shelter as best as they could. Following these evacuations, flights in and out of Fiji were canceled.
Still, it seems that approximately 1,900 visitors to this island nation are now stuck in this country.
Fiji's islands of Vanua Levu and Viti Levu are expected to be hit the hardest, meaning that winds in this part of the nation will most likely reach the speed of 270 km per hour (roughly 170 miles per hour).
“Everything is going, all the trees are being destroyed, there will be nothing left. It's really bad, it never stops. The wind is howling so strong and it is raining, except the wind is so strong you cannot see the rain,” said lawyer Janet Mason from Lautoka.
Meteorologists hope that cyclone Evan will leave Fiji this coming Tuesday.