Fiji scrambles to restore power as ferocious cyclone kills 6

Fijians were finally able to venture outside today after authorities lifted a curfew but much of the country remained without electricity in the wake of a ferocious cyclone that left at least six people dead and destroyed hundreds of homes.
Officials were scrambling to restore services and assess damage in remote parts of the Pacific Island chain.
Winds from Cyclone Winston, which tore through Fiji over the weekend, reached 285 kilometers per hour, making it the strongest storm in the Southern Hemisphere since record-keeping began, according to the Weather Underground website.
The government imposed the curfew on Saturday night and lifted it at 5:30 am (local time) today. A 3-day declaration of a state of natural disaster remains in effect and empowers police to make arrests without warrants.

In a televised address to the nation yesterday, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said many people had been left without power, fresh water or communications.
"The damage has been widespread, homes have been destroyed, many low-lying areas have flooded, and many people have been left stunned and confused about what to do," he said.

He said that the police and military had been brought in to help with rescue operations and the general cleanup, and that government agencies were working overtime to clear roads and restore power.
"This is a time of sorrow, but it will also be a time of action," Bainimarama said. "We will stand united in the face of this disaster."

Officials were trying to establish communications and road access to the hardest-hit areas, and said they would not know the full extent of the damage and injuries until then.
George Dregaso of Fiji's National Disaster Management Office said that two people on Ovalau Island died when the house they were sheltering in collapsed on them, and that another man was killed on Koro Island, although it wasn't clear how he died.
Authorities also said three people on the main island of Viti Levu were killed in the storm, but didn't have more details.