After pummelling Vanuatu as a category-five storm on April 6, Tropical Cyclone Harold levelled buildings and caused dangerous flooding across Fiji’s largest island of Viti Levu on Wednesday, April 8.
All of Fiji’s major settlements, including the capital Suva, but particularly the west coast settlements of Lautoka and Nadi, were lashed, with the worst weather hitting Kadavu Island.
The storm formed near the Solomon Islands, where 27 people were reportedly thrown overboard and killed on April 2, when the ferry MV Taimareho encountered rough seas while attempting to repatriate Malaita residents from Honiara as a precautionary measure during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.