A powerful storm has made landfall on Fiji’s main island, Viti Levu.
Cyclone Winston – a category five storm – brought winds of over 200 mph, torrential rain and waves of up to 40ft.
Flights have been canceled, evacuation centers activated and a nationwide curfew put in place.
The storm is expected to move westwards over the main island overnight Saturday and into Sunday morning.
Before it landed, PM Frank Bainimarama warned that Fiji was facing “an ordeal of the most grievous kind”.
“We must stick together as a people and look after each other. Be alert and be prepared,” he said.
Cyclone Winston has already brushed some of Fiji’s smaller islands, but the extent of the damage is unclear.
Assessment teams are being sent to the affected areas, the Fiji Times reported.
The Fijian capital Suva is likely to be spared the full forces of the storm but tourist resorts are close to the cyclone’s centre. About 900,000 people live on Fiji.
Mexican residents in parts of the country’s Pacific coast have been moved ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Patricia.
Authorities also closed ports in the area.
Officials have warned that the Category 5 Storm could be the strongest ever to hit Mexico’s Pacific coast.
A state of emergency has been declared in three states in the path of Hurricane Patricia.
The hurricane is expected to make landfall late on Friday, October 23, with winds up to 185 mph.
The US National Hurricane Center said Patricia was potentially catastrophic.
Photo AFP
Some 400,000 people live in vulnerable areas, according to Mexico’s National Disaster Fund.
Hurricane Patricia, which will bring torrential rain, could trigger flash floods and mudslides, the US centre said.
It also warned of potential flooding from the sea.
According to forecasters, Hurricane Patricia will make landfall in the western state of Jalisco, home to the resort town of Puerto Vallarta, which could lie directly in its path.
Shop owners in Manzanillo, a major port in neighboring Colima state, have begun boarding up windows.
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