Highlights
Category 5 Cyclone Winston was the strongest cyclone to ever hit Fiji and had some of the highest wind speeds at landfall recorded globally. It struck the two main islands of Fiji and numerous smaller islands, with around 40% of the population estimated to live within 50 kms of the eye of the Cyclone.
• 42 deaths confirmed, including three children.
• 134 schools destroyed, severely damaged or being used as evacuation centres.
• Over 62,400 people, 7.2% of the total population, are staying in 875 evacuation centres, with others staying with relatives or in other non-official displacement sites.
UNICEF Pacific is initially appealing for USD 5 million through the Pacific Humanitarian Action for Children 2016 appeal. This will be used for water, sanitation, hygiene, education, child protection, maternal and child health and nutrition, all according to Government’s priorities and requests.
120,000
Estimated # of children likely to have been moderately to severely affected (40% of child population)
347,000
Estimated # of people likely to have been moderately to severely affected (40% of total population)
These estimates by the Pacific Community (PC) are based on the zone between 0 and 50 kms from the center of Cyclone Winston, the range defined by the Fiji Meteorological Service as experiencing ‘very destructive hurricane force winds’.
UNICEF Appeal
US$ 5 million
UNICEF’s response with partners
UNICEF’s initial response builds on an investment in Fiji’s emergency response capacity and distributed prepositioned supplies that were requested by the Government of Fiji. These supplies are now depleted and funding is needed to sustain and scale up the response. Five days after Cyclone Winston, UNCEF has taken the following actions:
• 20,000 people in the most affected areas, 5.8% of the estimated population in these areas, have been provided with WASH supplies to ensure safe drinking water and sanitation. Supplies distributed by the Government were provided by UNICEF and the governments of Australia and New Zealand.
• 2,115 students at 23 schools on Koro Island, Lautoka and Ba areas have been provided with education supplies, including temporary learning spaces and learning materials.
• Seven Emergency Health Kits, each serving a population of 1,000 people for 3 months, have been distributed to health facilities in Rakiraki, Koro, Gau and Balavu. Six of the kits were funded by the New Zealand Government.
• UNICEF staff have been embedded into three Government Ministries and six assessment and response missions to provide technical and coordination support.