More than 93,000 people, including 32,500 children, were in the direct line of Tropical Cyclone Yasa on Thursday night. The Northern Division, which is one of the most impoverished regions in the country, bore the brunt of the cyclone.
Our thoughts are with the families of the four people who have recently been confirmed dead and one person who is missing, highlighting the devastating impact of the storm.
The full extent of the damage is still emerging, with
reports of widespread flooding and landslides in Fiji's north where buildings and crops were destroyed. Many communities have been cut off from assistance due to flooding and destruction of roads.
Our colleagues are on the ground assessing the destruction and pre-positioning emergency supplies. UNICEF is ready to mobilise its bigger stock stored in the Australian humanitarian warehouse in Brisbane.
Cate Heinrich, Chief of Communication at UNICEF Pacific, said getting emergency items such as water, sanitation kits and shelter there was "going to be a challenge" as she updated from the country’s capital Suva.
"We're getting photos coming through with schools completely demolished, roofs blown off and families talking about hiding under shelter overnight to survive the storm," she said.
UNICEF has pre-positioned essential water, sanitation and hygiene items, including soap, water containers and buckets, to ensure children and families have access to clean drinking water.