Fiji is usually what you picture when you are dreaming of beautiful beaches, warm, sunny weather, and a laid-back lifestyle. However, for the last few days, it has looked more like a warzone. Cyclone Evan is the strongest storm to hit Fiji in 20 years pummeled the islands over the last few days, basically annihilating everything in its path. As a category 4 storm, it packed sustained wind speeds up to 125mph, with gusts up to 170mph. Thankfully, no deaths have been reported in Fiji, but the storm did take five lives in Samoa, with up to 10 people still missing, just 3 days before it moved into the archipelago of Fiji.
Fiji is made up of 332 small islands, and has a population of just under 850,000 (just slightly more than Indianapolis' population).
On Viti Levu, the western part of the main island of Fiji, Cyclone Evan hit the area hard, making it look like a "war zone", the Fiji Times reported. This has led to numerous families being evacuated from their homes due to unsafe building structures.
Days of heavy rain have caused rivers to swell, which has flooded several roads and bridges. Strong winds have also blown down power lines, and torn roofs off of buildings, officials reported.
More than 8,000 people sought shelter in 137 evacuation centres, the Ministry of Information said.
Neighboring countries, Australia and New Zealand, have offered support to Fiji with both supplies as well as rescue personnel.
Sources: BBC News, Fiji Ministry of Information, Fiji Government Online Portal, U.S. Census Bureau, Reuters, NBC News
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