Tropical Cyclone Tomas Slams Fiji
March 20, 2010 by Jerry Reth · Leave a Comment
In a month that has been filled with natural disasters around the world, Fiji has been slammed by tropical Cyclone Tomas. The northernmost side of the island was the most affected. There have been reports of damage across the northern side of the island, and several videos have already reached the internet showing the devastation caused by Cyclone Tomas. For the most port, the damage has been small, with only slight damage to buildings being reported by officials in Fiji. The wind gusts that have been caused by Cyclone Tomas have been rumored to reach nearly 200 MPH, with highs in most areas topping out at around 175 MPH.
Tropical Cyclone Tomas was measured to be a level 4 tropical Cyclone. The scale runs through five, and four is considered to be the second most destructive on the scale. As the storm continues to move southeast, is is expected to sideswipe several smaller islands in Fiji, and will also hit the main island as well. The storm is expected to have died down considerably by the time that it reaches the main island, so there is no evacuation in progress at this moment.
Fiji has been slammed by a number of tropical storms over the last few years. The damage caused by Tomas is much less than some experts originally predicted, and all in all Fiji has made out very well given the size and force brought on by Tropical Cyclone Tomas. Some flooding is expected throughout Fiji in areas that do not have proper drainage systems set up. As many have with recent disasters, many throughout Fiji took to their favorite social networking websites including Facebook and Twitter to broadcast their thoughts and views on Tropical Cyclone Tomas. Fiji is not expected to request foreign aid in this matter.
