Cyclone transforms Fiji from tropical paradise to 'war zone'

HAVING endured the fury of Cyclone Evan, Fiji is coming to terms with the destruction the storm's 200km/h-plus winds caused.

Fiji aftermath

HAVING endured the fury of Cyclone Evan with no evident loss of life, impoverished Fiji is coming to terms with the destruction the storm's 200km/h-plus winds caused during a night of chaos and fear.

As the Pacific nation took stock, amid amazement that the category 4 cyclone did not add to the death toll it clocked up in Samoa, Australian holidaymakers counted themselves lucky to have come through it unscathed.

"Out the window we saw palm trees bent over, almost touching the ground, while we were inside in our cocoon. It was really going off," said John Ronan, 45, of Brisbane, who with wife, Raeleen, took shelter in a hotel ballroom on Denarau Island.

They emerged into a "war zone" yesterday.

GALLERY: Cyclone Evan

"It went from a tropical paradise to looking like it had been hit by artillery. Every tree from palms, coconut trees and frangipanis had been stripped naked, some were bent over and snapped," Mr Ronan told The Australian. "The pool looked like soup."

More than 2100 Australian tourists had registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as being in Fiji when the cyclone hit on Monday night, and the country's military was mobilised yesterday to lead the clean-up in preparation for the peak influx of holidaymakers at Christmas.

The Fijian government's tourism boss, Elizabeth Powell, urged Australians not to cancel holidays.

"We just need to reassure people who know and love Fiji that we're fine, we're dusting ourselves off, and we're ready for them," she said.

The cyclone was the fiercest to strike the archipelago in nearly 20 years and carved a path of destruction through the outlying Yasawa and Mamanuca resort islands, where gusts were reported at up to 270km/h near the eye.

While the main island of Viti Levu was spared its full force, 200km/h winds caused massive damage on the Coral Coast, which is dotted with holiday retreats and traditional villages. At least 12 homes were destroyed in the city of Lautoka, Fiji's second largest.

In Suva, two ships were washed on to reefs near the harbour entrance and uprooted trees blocked usually busy road. Storm surges of up to 4m were reported.

Power and communications across the country remained down yesterday, but the resumption of international flights came as a relief to the hundreds of stranded tourists who had been evacuated from resorts directly in the path of the cyclone. The full extent of the damage to these properties -- including the luxury couples-only Likuliku Lagoon Resort -- was still unknown yesterday. The Castaway Island resort, off Nadi, was closed until further notice after being battered by the cyclone, the accommodation house's Facebook page said.

On the island of Tokoriki, about 40km west of Nadi, resort manager Robert Ring said most of the damage was to the gardens, where trees had been smashed like matchsticks by the cyclonic winds.

But essential infrastructure was intact and he expected it would be business as usual by the pool by Christmas. "Everyone's just in recovery and clean up mode now," the expatriate Queenslander said.

Foreign Minister Bob Carr paid tribute to the Fijian preparations, which provided emergency shelter for more than 8000 people and helped account for the absence of known fatalities. Australia had committed an initial $1 million each to Fiji and Samoa in disaster relief, he said.

"Houses and food crops have been destroyed across Fiji and there has been major flooding with roads, bridges and tourist areas suffering significant damage," Senator Carr said.

"Some of the worst hit areas are isolated islands. Fiji is still recovering from flooding in April this year, which will make recovery even harder."

In neighbouring Samoa, which had little warning before the cyclone struck last week, the official death toll rose from four to five, with fears mounting for up to 10 people still missing.

The cyclone is tracking south towards the North Island of New Zealand and was last night downgraded to category 3, about 300km south of Fiji. It is expected to break down long before it can threaten a third country.

Additional reporting: Rosie Lewis