FIJI DISASTER

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 71, 25 March 1931, Page 14

FIJI DISASTER

■GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION

HURRICANE AND FLOODS

A NIGHT OF TERROR

A graphic account of the Fijian hurricane on 21st February is contained in the following extracts from a letter written by a lady living in Lautoka: — It is just a week to-day since the '.'blow," and things are gradually being straightened out, although the water supply is very serious. There are two thousand natives in the town without water, and, of course, it is the same here at the station, and everywhere else. Fortunately, it continued to ram for three days, so everybody -put out every available bucket and tub to catch what they could, but even so water is very precious at the present time. 1 never want to experience another hurricane like that. It was simply dreadful—just a long day and night of terror Wo had been warned from. Suva that there was a. "blow" coming our ■way on Tuesday, so everybody prepared and battened up their houses, etc., but as there was still no sign of it, on Friday we all decided that it was only a rumour, and unbattened again, kobody really expected it here in any case, as they had not bad one for thirty-six years, and thought that Lautoka was fairly safe. On Saturday morning about 3 o'clock it began to blow and rain, so V got up and closed all' the shutters, while I clashed round collecting pictures and ornaments. Fortunately, we had movecl all the furniture out of the lounge, and had not put it back again. ' The S—-s had been sleeping here for two nights, but went home on Friday, as they thought it was all over. Our boy also stayed away for two days, ana as I had been doing the work and, of course, had not slept much since the Tuesday, expecting the hurricane every day, I was feeling pretty tired when it did start. I did not undress for two clays afterwards, and v— and Mr. C were wet through all night, and just changed out of one wet lot of clothes into another. About 4 o'clock Mrs. C-J— ana the children-came clown here, as one of the walls of their house was beginning to cave in, and she wanted to get the children out of the house and down the hill while she couM. She and Mr. C went back again and • threw every thin sr that they could into cupboards, etc., and then left the Fijian and another lad to look after the house, while they managed to crawl back here again. The wind by this time was terrific, and it was just as well they came when they 'did, or they would never have got clown the hill, apart from the flying timber and branches oi troes. * n WIND OF 100 MILES AN HOUR. We managed to get something to eat, and after dinner they all sat m our room until about 10 o'clock, when they thought they would try to get some asleep. But it was only a dream —the wincl got worse and worse, and. you can have no idea what it was like unless you actually experience it. It was going at a rate of from 95 to 100 mUcs per Kour. Then the ram started coming in- Fortunately, we had two lines of defence, as we have innei doors from the lounge as well, so V—a Mr> C planned that we were to batten up those doors if the lounge caved in. They dragged all the furniture'to' one end of the room, and it was just as well, as that was about the only dry spot in the house. In the rest of the bedroom the water was just pouring through the ceiling like a ihcwep, and the whole house was shaking like an earthquake, while every minute we expected the roof to. gp. I would not have minded so much if they woukl have let mo do anything, but it was simply appalling lying there and expecting the roof to go and the house to collapse on the piles. At about half past eleven both the big doors in the bedroom blew open with a bang-one of the shutters in the lounge had blown away, and, of course, the wind and rain ■just tore'in. It was about the last straw for me, as I had been so worked up since early morning expecting things to happen. I managed to stagger through to Mrs. C—'s room while V - and Mr. C clashed in and nailed up the doors again. I don t remember much else for a while, except being carried back to this room again, as ,the window blew in in Mrs. O—--s. room, and the walls there started to creak so much that they expected them to crash in any second. Talk about "one exciting night"—why, it was not in it! NO LULL ALL NIGHT. They all thought that we would have to take to the open,, and V and Mr c -, who were just soaked through, of course, were terribly wor-ried-about Mrs. C— and me, and the chiiaren, in case the house did go. There wasn't a lull during the whole night until about 6 o'clock in the morning, when the glass went up one point, but there was just the awful wind shaking the house, just like a dog worrying a rat or something. The first thing the C s saw was only one-room lett standing of their beautiful home. Our garage had gone, and the car was upside down, looking like a scrap heap. Huge trees were uprooted in front, and as far as the eye could see, but our good.old house had stood it all. Xou should have seen the thankful but horribly strained-looking lot of us who sat 'down to a cup of tea in the early morning-the first, time that V—- anc Mr (< had rested since the mgut before The wind was still terrific, but not hurricane force, so the men went up to c 's as soon as they could to see what had been saved. Practically all of their furniture was gone, and everything was soaked, but the kitchen was standing, and the -Brians had worked like heroes all night and stacked all that they could in-the two remaining rooms. It was a wonder they were not killed, as the long verandah and the end room tore off while they were in the room, but they managed to crawl out safely. Poor Mrs. C was dreadfully upset, but they got the prisoners to work and salvaged quite a lot of her linen, clothes, and some silver, china, and crystal. Mr. ML 's office wasn't there at all, and Mr. C 's was half way down the hill, but all the other houses were fairly well protected, and not much damaged, except that everything was soaked. The Ps, of Lautoka, who happen to be in New Zealand at present, well—their house simply isn't there, and the I——s had a dreadful night as from 12 o'clock until 6 they were under the floor of the house, and when daylight came and they managed to crawl" to Dr. II 's there was only, one wall left standing -of their 'beautiful home. So far there are between sixty and. seventy deaths in Lautoka among the natives, but no fatalitie among the Europeans/ The poor creat-

jutes-are just about perishing for water and food, as hundreds of them, have lost everything they owned. Mr. C had to swim part of the way into Lautoka on Sunday, as there were awful floods everywhere, and no cars could get through until Tuesday on account of the roads being covered with fallen trees. The train from Sigatoka blew over just along the road from here, and many natives wero injured. Practically all the Colonial Sugar Befinery houses have no roofs, and the water just poured in. Mr. E 's roof blew in, and the <ouse started to go, so he had to crawl on his hands and knees to a friend's house down the road. Nobody could stand against the wind. HURRICANE; THEN FLOODS.

Lautoka got the worst of the hurricane, but Nacli, Ba, and' Sigatoka had dreadful floods, and natives aro starving, as all their food crops have been destroyed. 'The District Commissioners are issuing rice as fast as they can to help them.' Our lounge had over an inch of water and mud in it, but we got the boy (who turned up on Wednesday.) to sweep it as best he could; the floors and everything are filthy, but we can't touch them until we get tho water. If you could only see my lovely clean house! For days there was no-

thing but mud and dirty clothes everywhere, and a plague of ants on everything, but we are lucky to be alive, so we can't complain about a bit of mud.