Student Eric Nabalagi checks the latest Cyclone Tomas
reports coming from Fiji yesterday. Photo b Craig Baxter.
As Cyclone Tomas hit Fiji yesterday, all Dunedin Fijians
could do was wait and pray for the safety of family and
friends.
The category four storm battered Fiji's northern islands
yesterday, with winds of up to 175kmh.
University of Otago student Eric Nabalagi waited anxiously
yesterday to speak to his family in Fiji.
He last spoke to his parents, who live in western Fiji, on
Sunday before the power was cut for safety reasons.
He hoped to contact them today.
They worked at a resort which evacuated all its guests to the
main island on Sunday and staff were congregating in the main
complex, he said.
"They said the wind was so strong...
"It's so scary."
No contact had been made with his sister and her husband, who
lived on the northern side of the island, and Mr Nabalagi was
"very much" concerned about their safety.
The Fijian community in Dunedin were supporting each other,
he said.
He was keeping a close eye on media reports coming from the
island.
Otago rugby player Seko Qaraniqio was also relying on Fijian
websites and radio stations for information.
Reporters and emergency services had compared the storm to
the worst on record for the area - Cyclone Bebe - which hit
in 1972, he said.
Schools had closed, houses had been blown away and more than
5500 people had been sent to evacuation centres, he said.
He last spoke with his family, in Nadi, on Saturday.
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.