Canterbury tales re-told: RNZN multirole vessel delivers

摘要

Within the space of a year, the South Pacific archipelagic countries of Vanuatu and Fiji bore the brunt of two of the most powerful tropical cyclones to hit the southern hemisphere. On 13 March 2015 Vanuatu suffered extensive damage when Tropical Cyclone Pam struck with category 5 force, killing an estimated 17 people and leaving 65,000 homeless. Less than one year later, in what was to become one of the most disastrous South Pacific tropical cyclones in recorded history, Tropical Cyclone Winston tore through Fiji on 20 February, striking the island with 10-minute sustained winds of 230 km/h and waves up to 12 m. Winston inflicted extensive damage that saw 44 killed and approximately 350,000 displaced - roughly 45% of Fiji's population. Total damage amounted to USD1.4 billion, and a state of emergency, announced on 20 February, remained in place for 60 days.