ADRA assisting Fiji cyclone victims

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is providing emergency supplies to Fijian families whose homes were destroyed overnight by Tropical Cyclone Yasa.

In a Facebook post, ADRA South Pacific regional humanitarian adviser Michael Peach said the cyclone sat over Vanua Levu, Fiji’s second-largest island, for three hours last night, wreaking havoc in communities like Labassa, whose residents sheltered in evacuation centers.

“ADRA Fiji is planning to deliver water, sanitation, and hygiene kits to families in the next day or two, followed by a larger long-term recovery program,” Peach said. “The New Zealand Government has already committed funds to ADRA Fiji along with generous support from our ADRA Australia and ADRA New Zealand offices. It’s going to be a bleak Christmas and frustrating rebuild process for many who have not yet recovered from Tropical Cyclone Winston in 2016.”

Tropical Cyclone Yasi was predicted to be the strongest storm ever observed in the South Pacific basin. According to ABC News, two people have been confirmed dead as a result of the category-five storm, which had wind gusts as high as 345 kilometers an hour. There have been reports of widespread flooding and landslides in Fiji’s north, with buildings and crops destroyed.

This article was originally published on the website of Adventist Record