Cyclone Winston

Melanesian children float on a bamboo pontoon by Wicked Walu Island on the resort-studded Coral Coast of Fiji, November 11th, 2003. Since the Bali bombings 12 October 2002 tourism has overtaken sugar cane as the South Pacific archipelago's primary source of foreign revenue.
The Edit

The Edit, Episode #3: A Conversation About Climate Change, COP23, and the Future of the Pacific Islands

On the latest episode of Pacific Standard's podcast about how our stories are made, staff writer Kate Wheeling discusses her reporting from Fiji.

In the village of Nacamaki remains of old houses in the low-lying coastal village sit near new houses on the hills above.
COP23

What You Leave Behind When You Relocate After Climate Change

In the wake of Cyclone Winston, nearly every village on Koro Island is relocating further inland.

A young man repairs the roof of his house in Tailevu after Cyclone Winston swept through Fiji in 2016.
COP23

Chatting With Fijians About Climate: A Village of 'Leftovers'

On Fiji's Koro Island, locals talk about how climate change and stronger cyclones are re-shaping their villages.

Flora's former house, which collapsed during Cyclone Winston. When it rains, the families hang clothes to dry under the remaining roof because there's no room in the tents.
COP23

How to Prepare for a Cyclone When You're Living in a Tent

Nearly two years after Cyclone Winston destroyed their homes, one extended family in Fiji prepares to weather another cyclone season in government-issued tents that are wearing thin.

Field workers on a sugarcane farm in Fiji.
COP23

Chatting With Fijians About Climate: 'Climate Change Is Happening Just Because of Us'

Fijian farmers talk about climate change amid a severe drought that's gripping much of the island nation.

Main street on the waterfront in the town of Levuka.
COP23

Chatting With Fijians About Climate: 'We're Just a Tiny Dot'

In Levuka, locals talk about what it's like to live on the front lines of climate change.

People inspect the damage from Cyclone Winston at the Namuimada settlement in Fiji on February 26th, 2016.
COP23

After a Record-Breaking Atlantic Hurricane Season, Here's What to Expect in the South Pacific

Forecasters in the region predict an average cyclone season for the Pacific Islands, but Fiji is still recovering from the last major hurricane to batter the island nation.

suva fiji winston
Environment

Fiji's Climate Story Is Bigger Than Winston

The strongest storm ever recorded in the southern hemisphere just hit Fiji—a tiny country with big ambitions for climate action. Now the small Pacific nation just needs the world to follow its lead.