Bad weather forces Fiji to close 23 polling venues, 7852 voters affected
Fiji voters turning up in the rain to cast their votes at Nabitu District School in Tailevu on Viti Levu today. Image: Mereoni Mili/Wansolwara By Wansolwara staff A total of 7852 voters at more than 20 polling stations will cast their votes at a later date after the Electoral Commission – in consultation with the […]
Read More →Typhoon Mangkhut devastates north of Philippines with at least 25 dead
Typhoon Mangkhut as seen from the foyer of the of the Mira de Polaris hotel about 15 km from the heart of San Nicolas. Video: Jeremaiah M. Opiniano/Cafe Pacific By Jeremaiah M. Opiniano in San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte Howling winds and heavy volumes of rainfall brought more than a third of the Philippines and its […]
Read More →Fiji’s provident fund frees up $5.3m for natural disaster assistance
A spate of tropical cyclones has hit Fiji and other Pacific Islands in the past few months, causing widespread damage and flooding in low-lying areas. Image: Dept of Information/Wansolwara By Wansolwara News staff The Fiji National Provident Fund has released $5.33 million in flood assistance funds to 6351 members in the aftermath of two recently […]
Read More →Urgent call for help on Kadavu island after Keni’s Fiji devastation
This house at Namara Village in Sanima on Kadavu had its roof blown off. Image: The Fiji Times By Vilimaina Naqelevuki in Suva A resort owner on Kadavu has called on Fijians to urgently assist those on the island after the devastation caused by Severe Tropical Cyclone Keni this week. Matava Eco Resort director Mark […]
Read More →Devastating Cyclone Keni moves out of Fijian waters, clean up begins
Pacific Media Watch Newsdesk Cyclone Keni has moved out of Fijian waters and lies about 275km south-southwest of the Tongan capital of Nuku’alofa, reports Pacnews. The Fiji Met Service said the cyclone still remains a category three storm, with winds between 130 and 185km/h still blowing. At its peak, average wind gusts were up to […]
Read More →‘We’re stuck in the river – please come quickly’ cry before being swept away
Tragically drowned … Sheenal Mudliar , pictured with her surviving husband Sandeep Mudliar. Image: The Fiji Times By Felix Chaudhary in Lautoka “We’re stuck in the river, please come quickly.” These were the last words spoken by a distraught daughter to her father-in-law as floods engulfed the vehicle she was travelling in. Sheenal Mudliar, 25, […]
Read More →‘Scary’ floodwaters engulf homes in western Fiji as 4 die over Easter
A vehicle is swept away into a drain by strong currents at Waimalika in Sabeto, Nadi, in western Fiji yesterday. Image: Baljeet Singh/The Fiji Times By Felix Chaudhary in Lautoka “It was scary, we’ve never seen anything like it.” That’s how a Natabua, Lautoka, man described the experience residents had as they fled to higher […]
Read More →PNG quake-hit communities plead for relief aid to ‘bypass’ government
As relief supplies continue to be delivered to earthquake affected communities, there is another looming disaster over water, reports EMTV News. Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk People in earthquake-affected areas of Papua New Guinea’s Highlands have asked international agencies to bypass the national government when providing relief. The PNG Government has admitted that its response to […]
Read More →Ardern mission for post-Gita visit to Tonga, Samoa, Niue and Cook Islands
Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says the New Zealand government’s Pacific Mission will take place early next month and travel to Tonga, Samoa, Niue, and the Cook Islands. “It will be an honour to have the Pacific Mission led by the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and is a further sign of […]
Read More →Tonga’s Parliament seeks temporary home after Gita smashed old House
By Kalino Latu, editor of Kaniva News As Tonga struggles to recover from Cyclone Gita, authorities are looking for somewhere to host the next Parliamentary sessions next month. Parliament needs a place to meet between March 1-15 so MPs can process bills and laws that are required for the government’s 2018-2019 budget. A Parliamentary spokesperson […]
Read More →Falling trees and downed power poles hinder Tonga’s Gita relief effort
By Kalino Latu. editor of Kaniva News The Tongan government’s efforts to assess the extent of destruction by Tropical Cyclone Gita have been hindered by falling trees and downed power poles. The Minister of Disaster Management, Poasi Tei, said teams of government assessors had been dispatched to villages and towns to report on damage caused […]
Read More →Tonga welcomes NZ $750,000 aid offer in wake of Gita’s destruction
By Kalino Latu, editor of Kaniva News The Tongan government has welcomed New Zealand’s offer to donate $750,000 and personnel assistance in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Gita’s destruction. The NZ government has a military plane with assistance ready to go once it is safe to land in Tonga. Tonga’s Minister of Police Māteni Tapueluelu […]
Read More →Tropical Cyclone Gita leaves trail of destruction in Tonga
Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk Severe Tropical Cyclone Gita has left a trail of destruction after hitting Tonga with 200 kph plus winds during the night. RNZ reports that on the main island of Tongatapu in the kingdom, the category four cyclone had ripped roofs off houses, brought down trees, destroyed a Catholic church, and took […]
Read More →Tonga under curfew as kingdom braces for fury of Cyclone Gita
By Kalino Latu, editor of Kaniva News An overnight curfew was in place in Tonga tonight as the kingdom awaited the full force of Cyclone Gita, which was threatening to become a devastating category five storm. Tropical Cyclone Gita bearing down on Tonga. Image: earth.nullschool.net Tonga Police Commissioner Stephen Caldwell ordered a curfew in the […]
Read More →Tonga declares state of emergency to face looming wrath of Cyclone Gita
Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk Tonga has declared a state of emergency today in preparation for severe Tropical Cyclone Gita as it threatens to hit the southern part of the kingdom with a potential category 5 force tonight, reports Matangi Tonga. Acting Prime Minister Semisi Sika announced the state of emergency at 10am, saying this was […]
Read More →Mata’afa Keni Lesa: Cyclone Gita’s over but remember Ofa’s vengeance
OPINION: By Mata’afa Keni Lesa, editor of the Samoa Observer Tropical Cyclone Gita has left just as quickly as it arrived on Friday night and yesterday morning. Within six hours, it left hundreds of people devastated as a result of strong winds and flooding. Folks, it sends shivers down the spine to think what more […]
Read More →Gallery: Stay away from flooded areas, Samoa police warn after Cyclone Gita
Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk Tropical Cyclone Gita might be slowing moving away from Samoa but the danger is far from over and a state of disaster has been declared. Gita, which has been lashing both Samoa and American Samoa with torrential rain and damaging winds, was upgraded to a category two as it caused flooding, […]
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