On Saturday February 20, 2016, Tropical Cyclone (TC) Winston, an extremely destructive Category 5 cyclone, struck Fiji. Following TC Winston’s passage from Fiji, reports emerged of widespread damage and destruction, with the cyclone impacting approximately 540,400 people, equivalent to 62 percent of the country’s total population.3 The storm brought down the power and communications systems linking the islands, with approximately 80 percent of the nation’s population losing power, including the entire island of Vanua Levu, and 44 fatalities were subsequently confirmed. Entire communities were destroyed and approximately 40,000 people required immediate assistance following the cyclone. 30,369 houses, 495 schools and 88 health clinics and medical facilities were damaged or destroyed. In addition, the cyclone destroyed crops on a large scale and compromised the livelihoods of almost 60 percent of Fiji’s population.

Author: Fiji

Citation: Fiji. (2016). Fiji: Post-disaster needs assessment; Tropical cyclone Winston, February 20, 2016 [PDNA]. Suva, Fiji: Government of Fiji. 153 p.

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