Tropical Cyclone Pam: One year on

A year after Tropical Cyclone Pam cut a path of destruction across Vanuatu, Tuvalu, the Solomon Islands and Kiribati, the Pacific is again grappling with the devastating aftermath of a Category 5 cyclone – the worst ever to hit the South Pacific. After impacting on the islands of central Tonga, Tropical Cyclone Winston unleashed its El Niño-fueled fury on Fiji on 20-21 February, killing more than 40 people and leaving 40 per cent of the population in humanitarian need.

Like the people of Vanuatu a year ago, Fijians are again proving the Pacific’s resilience to the natural disasters which affect the region with increasing unpredictability.

Village headman Simione Koroicakau looks out with tears in his eyes at all that is left of his once- beautiful coastal community of Verevere on the north east coast of Fiji’s main island, Viti Levu.

Read the full story on OCHA.