Cyclone Tomas

At this point, it looks like we will definitely be suffering a direct hit from Cyclone Tomas in the next 24 hours. The experts predict it will be a category 4 cyclone by the time it arrives, which is massive. The winds have already picked up, and the air feels like the rain is not far behind. Everyone is busy doing what they can to prepare the village and the island while they can.

i am taking comfort in the fact in the people of Vorovoro and nearby Mali Island have lived here for generations and through countless cyclones and storms and have never suffered major catastrophe. The villages are built right on the water's edge, and always weather the storms. I've heard it said that the reef that surrounds us acts as a protective barrier. When I asked Francis, the island matriarch, if her family ever left the island when a cyclone was coming, she just laughed and laughed. "No no no. We just stay right here on the island!" she replied. I've decided when Grandma Francis starts to worry, that's when i will worry.

So for now, we will just keep preparing - packing, nailing tarps, trimming trees, securing anything that can be secured. We may head into the mainland with the tribe members to weather the storm at Tui Mali's (Vorovoro and Mali's chief) mainland home, but we are still sorting that out. Please don't worry about us (that means you, Jackye, Jodie, and Mom!!!) and keep all of Fiji in your prayers over the next couple of days.

I will update this blog as soon as I possibly can after the storm.

Loloma Levu!