Aussie Jews affected by Fijian floods
SCORES of Australian Jews are among the thousands affected by devastating floods in popular holiday destination Fiji.
SCORES of Australian Jews are among the thousands affected by devastating floods in popular holiday destination Fiji.
At least four people are already confirmed dead with around 8000 people forced into evacuation centres.
David Hayblum, in Fiji for a wedding, is hopeful the violent storm, currently wreaking havoc across parts of the small pacific island, will pass him by.
Thirty-three-year-old Hayblum is at a resort near the flood-ravaged city of Sigatoka, 100 kilometres west of Fiji’s capital Suva, but said he has no intention of leaving.
“My mum keeps telling me to get on a helicopter and go back home and my auntie has registered us with the Australian embassy in case we get lost,” he said.
Hayblum said when he looks out the window he can see a blue sunny sky and barely a cloud in sight, but he has seen the devastation that was caused by Cyclone Daphne and associated floods.
“The bridges have been washed away and the local houses that we have seen are completely flooded.
“The road to Suva is apparently open but the road to Nadi, where the airport is, is closed because there have been mudslides and the road has caved in.
“The last two days have been a mad rush because there are six helicopters on the island and two are dedicated to our resort so people have been lining up and waiting in the hotel lobby to get a helicopter to the airport, but we just bought some cards and have started reading our books and relaxing.”
He said only four people from the 10-person wedding party have been able to reach the island, but his biggest concern is power.
“Power has failed across Fiji and we are running on generators, but they are only meant to last another day so we have been charging our cameras and our phones.”
While Hayblum is still in Fiji, Joey Thomas and her family will have to stay in Sydney because of the cyclone.
“We are meant to be flying this Friday and I packed, but then had to unpack, because there are no flights going out of Sydney,” Thomas said.
“I am obviously disappointed but what can you do.”
See flood footage at JNTV.
JOSHUA LEVI
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