ISLAND STORM.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 31, 7 February 1939, Page 5

ISLAND STORM.

FIJI LASHED. SHIPS DRIVEN ASHORE. DAMAGE IN SUVA. ! (From Our Own Correspondent.) ' SUVA, January 25. On the morning of Saturday, January 21, the harbourmaster at Suva issued a warning that a hurricane was approaching Suva from the west, and that within four hours wind of full hurricane force might bf>, expected. Between 10 and 11 a.m. the barometer fell to 28.755 in, and the wind reached a velocity of 74 miles an hour. At Lautoka, with a barometer reading of 25.850, the wind reached a force of 11-12. In the afternoon, however, the hurricane moved to the south, so that Suva escaped with a severe gale. Electric power and telephone lines suffered severely, most of the damage being caused by falling trees and branches. In some parts of the town the power was off for the week-end, and telephones were completely cut out in several localities. The King's Road, to the north of the island, is still impassable, and on I the Queen's Road to Sigatoka, the I approaches to two bridges were washed | away, a gap of some 15 miles between jXavua and Sigatoka being completely isolated. , The Rewa River came down in flood on Saturday night, and on Sunday was 13ft (3in above normal at the Xausori mill. Some 120 people were moved from Tonfra Island, which was mostly under water. Ashore and Refloated. The cutter Ono-i-Lau returned to Suva last night after having been driven ashore by the gale on Saturday at Kavala Bay, Kadavu. The passenigprs scrambled ashore, but the master j stood by his vessel and managed to | refloat her after the gale subsided. The

auxiliary schooner Kadavulevu is ashore it Wasau, Kadavu, but it is expected that she will be refloated. Considerable damage was done at Kadavu, and some of the Catholic Mission buildings at Kavala are down, as are most of the houses in Kavala town. News has been received that the auxiliary schooner Tui Labasa went ashore at Wakaya Island at noon last Thursday, and it is feared received extensive damage. The force of the wind was too much for the steaming power of the vessel with two anchors down, and she was driven ashore. She now lies at the edge of the shore reef in about a fathom of water at low tide. Fortunately there was no loss of life. The cutter Adi Eci is reported to have been extensively damaged at Makogai by the storm. At Navua on Saturday many Ind-an bures were demolished, and about 100 Indians rushed to shelter at the Navua Hotel. Roth the Navua and Deuba Rivers overflowed their banks and miles of rice and dairy lands were completely submerged. Although there was damage to buildings at Lautoka, Xadi, and Siga-j toka there has been much damage to native food plantations by floods, which were the largest in living memory at Nadi and Sigatoka.