Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama will start a visit to the cyclone-hit North today.  He will arrive by boat from Viti Levu and start from Nabouwalu at 9am.

He will be visiting areas and people affected by Cyclone Yasa.

Initial Damage Assessment teams have been deployed to affected provinces.

Teams from the Republic of Fiji Military Forces and civil servants are leaving  for Vanua Levu to distribute 10,000 food rations and nonfood items such as tarpaulins to villages and communities.

Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Office confirms that a total of 16,113 Fijians continue to be accommodated in 312 evacuation centres.

Director NDMO, Vasiti Soko, said while most people were returning home, they had noted an increase in evacuation centres and evacuees in the battered North.

There are now 6644 evacuees in 128 evacuation centres in the North compared to 74 evacuation centres initially.

In the Western Division, there are 68 active evacuation centres with 3542 evacuees, 87 centres in the Central Division with 4434 evacuees and 29 evacuation centres in the Eastern Division with 1493 evacuees.

Two more deaths were also confirmed yesterday bringing the total of cyclone-related deaths to four.

They are a 50-year-old man from Nalawa in Ra and a 70-year-old from Yadua Island.

North assessment

“Our teams are on the ground today (yesterday) conducting initial damage assessment given the extent of the areas and communities affected by Cyclone Yasa,” Ms Soko said.

“Upon completion of assessments we will be in a better position to give details of the assistance in terms of food and non-food items.”

She said in the meantime, distribution to the Northern Division would be prioritised.

Businesses and individuals, who are interested in giving donations, are advised to go through their Divisional Offices or NDMO to avoid duplication of assistance.

A Royal New Zealand Air Force flight flew over affected areas yesterday making an aerial assessment before providing NDMO with a full scope of the damage caused.

Today, an Australian flight is expected to conduct the second round of aerial assessment.

Members of the public are reminded to boil drinking water and store food for safety.

Curfew times have now reverted to COVID-19 curfew time from 11pm to 4am.

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