Sharjah24 – AFP: Fijians living in the path of an approaching super cyclone were told to hunker down at home or flee to emergency shelters immediately on Wednesday, as authorities warned the storm has the potential to uproot buildings and cause mass destruction.
The Fiji Meteorological Service said Cyclone Yasa had intensified to a top-of-the-scale Category Five storm, with devastating gusts of up to 280 kilometres per hour (174 miles per hour).
It was on track to hit Fiji late Thursday and the National Disaster Management Office said around two-thirds of the island nation's population of 900,000 are in its path.
In the capital Suva on Wednesday, residents tried their best to board-up windows and storefronts, while others lugged bags filled with vital provisions through already flooded streets.
National Disaster Management Office director Vasiti Soko urged anyone who doubted their home's structural integrity to prioritise survival over protecting their property and escape right away.
"If you need to move to an evacuation centre, we are pleading that you move before it gets dark," Soko said.
"If you know that your house cannot survive strong winds, let alone the cat five cyclone that is on the way, please take yourselves, your children and your valuables to the evacuation centre."
Soko said Cyclone Yasa was likely to have a larger impact than Cyclone Harold in April this year, another Category Five storm that gouged a trail of destruction across the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and Tonga.
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