Cyclone Daman - Impact and Aftermath

Impact and Aftermath

Cyclone Daman brought heavy rain which caused floods and landslides within Fiji's northern division. This led to several international and domestic flights being canceled on December 7. The Fijian island of Cikobia received a direct hit whilst Daman passed directly over Rotuma. The total cost to Fiji from Cyclone Daman was F$500,000 (2007) ($330,000 US$ 2007) with no damage being reported in Tonga from the storm.

Daman did most of its damages on Cikobia island, which has a population of around 120. Damage on Cikobia included extensive damages to houses, school buildings, crops, fruitbearing trees and foliage. Water pipes were damaged by fallen trees as a result of high winds from the storm. Despite initial fears of there being some fatalities on Cikobia, no loss of life was recorded due to the storm. This was because the islands 120 residents had evacuated to caves on Cikobia. The Fijian Dependency of Rotuma experienced a significant amount of rainfall from December 5 until December 7, when Cyclone Daman was located near Rotuma.

Because there were no deaths and only 65 people had been directly affected by Cyclone Daman, the Fijian government, with the help of the Red Cross, decided not to request any International Aid or any external assistance. The Fijian Government, on January 15, 2008, allocated $530,000 2008 FJD for the relief and rehabilitation programme of Cikobia. By August 2008, all work rebuilding Cikobia after Cyclone Daman had been completed.