Cyclone Yasa: Fiji under curfew, state of disaster as storm approaches

Fiji declared a state of natural disaster on Thursday, ordering its entire population to take shelter ahead of a nightly curfew as a potentially devastating cyclone approached the Pacific Island nation. Cyclone Yasa, a top category five storm, is expected to bring winds of up to 250 km per hour, as well as torrential rain across the South Pacific archipelago when it makes landfall by early Friday. Still a few hours out from the worst weather, Fiji's Meteorological Service said storm force winds and heavy rains have been recorded in some parts of the country already. By Thursday evening, the centre of Yasa was forecast to be 100 km east of the village of Yasawa-i-Rara, and potentially over Fiji's fifth-most populous province of Bua, home to 15,000 people, the country's National Disaster Management Office said