Kathmandu, February 1. A cyclone named “Ana” crossed through Fiji on Sunday causing heavy rainstorms and floods that displaced thousands of people settled in the Pacific archipelago. 

According to the National Disaster Management Office(NDMO), a 49-year old man had drowned in the flood and 5 others are missing. 10,000 people are sheltered into 300 evacuation centres.

NDMO Director Vasiti Soko informed that due to severe flooding, a river near the capital city Suva, unexpectedly burst its banks due to which the rescuers had to evacuate people from the houses. “The sun is out again, the water is going down and the evacuees are returning,” she said.

On Friday, the government had warned people to get prepared as the Meteorological Services has noticed category 1 tropical cyclones being developed at around 530 km north-west of Nadi.

Earlier in December, Fiji was hit by a more powerful cyclone “Yasa” that killed at least 4 people and caused huge damage to government and public infrastructures. 

Fijian Prime minister Frank Bainimarama, through his official Twitter handle, claimed that frequent deadly storms in Fiji are rooted to climate change. He noted, “Today, my priority is on Fijians’ safety — but the rest of the world needs to wake up and reckon with why this is happening.”