TC Yasa forced 22,000-plus people into evacuation centres overnight

A little over 22,000 more people moved into evacuation centres in the height of severe Tropical Cyclone Yasa last night.

At 6pm yesterday, National Disaster Management Office stats accounted for 78 evacuation centres opened across the four divisions, providing shelter to 1,434 people from 312 households. In their latest update today, the numbers had increased to 457 centres, 23,479 people and 3,316 households.

The west dominated numbers in terms of evacuation count – making up 53 per cent of the total number of people housed at these temporary shelters and more than 40 per cent of centres in operation in the four divisions.

Authorities expect the numbers to change as some evacuees return to their homes, as is in the case for some housed in Suva centres, while they await updates from their teams in Vanua Levu and maritime islands where homes have been destroyed or partially damaged.

The NDMO says public safety remains paramount. Over the next 24 hours, authorities will look to clear roads, restore critical infrastructure and services, ensure minimal disruption to essential services, issuance of public advisories and coordinate support with development partners.

^{Main Photo: Delainamasi Government School evacuation centre Photo Courtesy of: Jonati Torocake}