Cyclone Tomas

Homes have been destroyed, crops flattened and debris scattered across Fiji but Cyclone Tomas didn't cause as much damage as first thought, officials say.

The Government says it will provide assistance to cyclone-struck Fiji for as long as necessary.

Cyclone Tomas uprooted trees and smashed houses as it tore through the Fijian island of Cikobia, a villager has told a local radio station.

The New Zealand Government has committed an initial $1 million in aid to Fiji after a devastating cyclone which has killed at least one person, destroyed homes and knocked out power and communications, Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully says.

Villagers on the cyclone-battered Fijian island of Koro had their chainsaws, shovels and assorted tools out today clearing roads, rebuilding homes and dealing with damage from winds which gusted to 240kmh.

A New Zealand Air Force Hercules carrying disaster relief supplies has left for Fiji after a devastating cyclone killed at least one person and knocked out power and communications to several islands.

Distraught over the destruction Cyclone Tomas is bringing to his homeland, Joeli Vakalala could not concentrate at work, so instead began organising relief supplies.

As Fiji battens down for one of its worst storms in years, a storm that has already claimed one life, local Neil Harrison says he can do little other than watch the huge swell in what he says is usually a calm and protected bay.

Fiji continues to brace for massive winds and high sea surges for at least another 24 hours as Cyclone Tomas continues to slam the Pacific nation.

As Cyclone Tomas hit Fiji yesterday, all Dunedin Fijians could do was wait and pray for the safety of family and friends.