The Aftermath of Cyclone Winston

Tropical Cyclone Winston was the worst cyclone to ever hit Fiji, and was even the worst in recorded history to strike anywhere in the southern hemisphere of the world.  This category 5 cyclone carried rain and winds of 220 kph, with gusts up to 325 kph.  During that night of terror, many homes and crops were damaged or completely destroyed, trees were snapped off or their roots pulled right out of the ground.  Electric power was lost, as power poles and lines were knocked down.  Many roads and villages were completely flooded.  So far, the death toll is at 44, and many others were injured.  This toll should continue to rise as reports from isolated communities and small islands come in.  

This last week we were privileged to visit and help some of those

affected in the storm.  It truly opened our eyes....

This damage occurred at one of the local high schools.

Many of the signs around the island were destroyed

When we took this photo, we could hear the
buzzing of the broken ends of the wires!

One village we visited was near Korovou

about 45 min or so from Suva.

This village wasn't waiting for government
or Church assistance, but began rebuilding
themselves. They have a great attitude.

This used to be a little external cook house

After roofs and corrugated sheet metal was
torn off, the people of the village were able
to hunt down the missing parts, and nail
them back onto their home.

After the roofs were torn off, clothing and
mattresses were soaked in the pouring rain.
It's now time to dry everything out.

This sweet little girl looked so cute all
dressed up, peering out of her home.

I can't imagine the night of terror they had to endure

Sarah Jane Weaver, a reporter for a Utah newspaper, who was in Fiji to cover the LDS Temple Re-dedication and Cultural Ceremony in Suva, tagged along with us for 3 days this week.  She is going to publish a story on the aftermath of the cyclone, and then publish a story about our eye care humanitarian mission.  We felt honored that she thought our story was worth sharing.

On our way to do eye exams at a village,
we unexpectedly came upon a this flooded
river from the cyclone. We'll try this village
again, next month.

I was tempted to try crossing this flood with our
four-wheel drive, but common sense prevailed,
as we estimated the water was about 4 ft deep.

As we visited different churches and villages with the news reporter, Sarah, we found that many of the churches were full of families who has lost their homes in the storm.  Luckily they had a place of safety and security to go until they can rebuild their homes.

At this remote LDS church building near Korovou,
15 of the 20 families who lost their homes were now
living in the church.  The reporter enjoyed getting
their stories and taking their photos.

Their bedding is put out in the sun to dry.

The families combined all their remaining food to
share with each other, and now the the ladies
were preparing supper for everyone.  

At this church building in Lami, where 3 families were living, they were cooking some delicious "Fry Bread" for everyone.  Despite having lost everything, they insisted on sharing some with us.  It was absolutely delicious. They are such special people.

This face says it all...

This lady and her one month old baby boy survived the night of terror, and were now sleeping on this mattress at the church.

...Drying their things out in the sun...

As we went around to these village with the
reporter, we took a bag of suckers to hand
out to everyone.  The adults loved them
just as much as did the children did.

Children came running out from everywhere
when they saw we were handing out suckers.

This little boy gave Ann the biggest
hug after she gave him a sucker.  

This lady was very happy to take the left over
 suckers to share with everyone in the village.

Ann had crocheted a couple of baby hats awhile ago,
and decided to give one to this little one month old
boy, and the other one to his 9 month old cousin.

These families were very grateful for the food and
supplies we (and the reporter, Sarah & her friend)
bought for them to help them out at this time.

This toddler loved the gift of a new ball,
and loved to snuggle up to Ann.

The work is only just beginning to clean
up the mess after the cyclone.

These young men are fixing the power pole
that was knocked down during the storm.

With the newspaper reporter, we visited this
village leader and his wife.  He took us to
two different villages to assess the damage
from the cyclone, and to answer questions
for Sarah, the newspaper reporter.

These two missionaries are now working in their
casual clothes to work right along side with
the victims of the cyclone to repair their homes.

Sarah, the reporter came with us on this day
when we did eye exams at the Lami chapel.

Because of the storm, our numbers were 

fewer, but still saw about 80 that day.

Ann often gives the younger children a little box of
Smarties she brought from Canada.  They've never
seen them before, but certainly enjoy eating them.

About 600 youth (who were there for the cultural
ceremony) had to sleep at the LDS High School
for a few days following the cyclone.  They had to
wait for roads to be opened, or the Ferry docks to
be repaired, or planes to again fly before they could
return to their respective cities or other islands.

The leaders of the Church decided to have the
youth, who couldn't perform at the Cultural
Celebration on Saturday (because things were
cut short due to the cyclone), perform their dances
at the High School, so they could be recorded and
given to the head leaders of the church to watch.

After all those hours of rehearsals, the youth were
thrilled to perform, especially knowing that
their church leaders back in Utah would
be watching the recording.

The missionaries who were also trapped in
Suva after the cyclone, were happy to be able
to watch the youth's performances, as well.

The Fiji population is made up of 40% East Indian,
and 60% Native Fijian.  These two girls, dressed in
the traditional clothing from each culture, were part of
the song, "The Spirit of Fiji" which unites the two
cultures and country. It was a very touching performance.

Since the cyclone struck last weekend, we have been without any electricity for the past week.  We had to throw away a number of things from our fridge and freezer, and suffer in the extreme heat in our apartment, with no fan or air conditioning to renew ourselves, and making it almost impossible to sleep at night.  We really miss having any kind of cold drink from the fridge, and have had to wait in line to buy bread, as soon as it comes out of the generator powered oven at one of the bakeries.  Although we have suffered a little, we fully recognize that we have nothing to complain about, given the fact that so many others lost their homes, crops, and even some family members during the cyclone.  We thank God for protecting us during Fiji's worst cyclone to ever hit.  We truly feel blessed.