Category 4 cyclone roars toward islands

A powerful tropical cyclone packing gusts up to 155 mph headed toward northern Fiji, where islanders braced for heavy rain and coastal sea surges today, officials said.

Cyclone Daman, rated Category 4 by the South Pacific nation’s Nadi Meteorological Center, was expected to cause major flooding and “pretty serious damage” to houses and low coastal areas, senior forecaster Matt Boterhoven said.

Fiji Disaster Management Office director Joeli Rokovabe said people in the Lau and Lomaiviti island groups and on the island of Vanua Levu were being advised to move to shelters. Vanua Levu is home to 80,000 people; the two groups have 10,000 more.