Category 5 Cyclone Yasa laid waste to Vanua Levu, Fiji’s second-largest island, killing two and forcing thousands to seek shelter. Though Yasa moved relatively quickly, causing less immediate damage than had been feared, officials worry it could cause “a second disaster within a disaster,” Oxfam regional director Raijeli Nicole told The Guardian. “Coastal communities are particularly vulnerable with flooding and coastal inundation expected in low-lying areas, along with strong winds and heavy rain…. Without assistance, people will be at risk of waterborne infections,” she added. Other relief agencies also said the storm wiped out many families’ food stores. “This is not normal. This is a climate emergency,” declared Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama. Climate change, caused by burning fossil fuels, increases the intensity of strong storms like Yasa, which is may be the strongest-ever recorded storm in the southern hemisphere. (The Guardian, CNN, Al Jazeera, Washington Post $, Reuters, Yale Climate Connections; Climate signals background: Intense cyclone frequency increase)
