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RISK ANALYSIS AND EARLY ACTION SELECTION
Prioritized hazard and its historical impact. Fiji is one of the world’s most vulnerable nations to climate change and climate-related disasters. The country is exposed to multiple hazards including earthquakes, tsunami, landslide, coastal flooding, tropical cyclones, and wildfire. One of the principal hazards affecting Fiji is tropical cyclones (TCs).
The World Bank’s data of natural hazards occurrence in the country from 1980 to 2020 illustrates that storms account for almost two thirds of all disaster events, followed by floods, drought, earthquakes and epidemics. Fiji's National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and National DRR policy identify tropical cyclones as a major climate hazard the country faces now and into the future.
Since 1969, there have been 33 TCs (Category 1 or higher) that have passed within 10 km of Fiji, and 16 that made landfall. Some of the most devastating cyclones to hit the country in recent history include Cyclone Winston (2016), the strongest cyclone ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere, Cyclone Yasa (2020), the second-strongest cyclone on record to make landfall in Fiji, and Cyclone Harold (2020). Tropical cyclones negatively impact lives, livelihoods, the environment, agriculture, well-being, infrastructure, and the economy.
According to Fiji Government estimates, by 2050, over 6.5 per cent of GDP could be lost due to TCs and floods, with the number of people pushed into poverty increasing by 25 per cent year on year. TC Winston alone impacted approximately 540,000 people, equivalent to 62 per cent of the country’s total population. It caused the loss of 44 lives and destroyed entire communities. Approximately 40,000 people required immediate assistance following the cyclone, and about 30,300 houses, 495 schools, and 88 health clinics and medical facilities were damaged or destroyed. In addition, the cyclone destroyed crops on a large scale and compromised the livelihoods of almost 60 per cent of Fiji’s population. The estimated effect of TC Winston was equivalent to F$2.0 billion (US$900M).