A 66-year-old man from Kadavu has been confirmed as the first fatality from severe Tropical Cyclone Harold.
The Director of National Disaster Management Office, Vasiti Soko says this is an unfortunate incident as the man was trying to escape from his farmhouse in Namajiu Village, Kadavu.
A 12-year-old boy also required medical evacuation to Suva after sustaining serious injuries during the cyclone.
Soko says due to the current lockdown in Suva, they will not send any first responders from Suva hence that is why they are releasing their teams from outside Suva.
She adds they are currently finalizing the response and early recovery plans.
Meanwhile, Soko says after the Initial Damage Assessment, 244 houses were destroyed in the Eastern Division while 203 houses were partially damaged.
94 houses were destroyed in the Central Division while 242 houses was partially damaged.
The initial damage assessment in the Western Division is still being carried out including the assessment on Vatulele Island while the Northern assessment has just been completed.
