Homes in Vanuabalavu, Lau, were either partially or not damaged at all. However, its agriculture sector felt the brunt of Cyclone Yasa.

Railala Mate, of Muamua Village sat outside her home in disbelief of Yasa’s destruction and what it left behind.

“Everything that we worked hard for in our farms have been destroyed by the cyclone,” the 87-year-old said.

The once green vegetation is now bare, brown and without fruit.

“There is nothing we can harvest now from our yams, cassava, or breadfruit plantations for this Christmas and New Year with our families,” she said.

“Despite what have been destroyed, I am thankful to God that no one got hurt when the cyclone hit our island.”

Villagers are now dependent on the sea and food rations for a decent meal.

Avea Village

Avea Village headman Viliame Gucake said only one house, out of the 30 homes, was partially damaged.

“We were hoping our homes and farms would not be damaged from the cyclone, but it chose one and took its toll on our agriculture.

“There is nothing we can do now but take one step at time to rebuild and start over what we lost in our farms,” he said.

Mavana Village

In Mavana Village, only one house was destroyed; four houses were partially destroyed, out of the 50 homes standing.

Village headman Semesa Koto said: “Our plantations felt the impact of Tropical Cyclone Yasa, destroying everything from our dalo, cassava, and yams.

“With what we have right now, I believe this ration would last us only a week. Our source of income has always been copra, but since TC Winston, it has not been going too well. Now that TC Yasa hit, it has just made things worse.”

Some villagers were sheltering at the evacuation centre while others were well prepared and safe in their respective homes.

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