Emergency operation teams are currently on standby across the country.

Emergency operation teams are currently on standby across the country.

Director for the National Disaster Management Office, Vasiti Soko says the teams will operate on 24-hour shifts ensuring information is distributed to the relevant agencies and the public are assisted where need be.

This as the current tropical disturbance is expected to intensify into a cyclone in the next 24 hours.

“As of 8am this morning, the National Disaster Management Operating Centre has been activated, the divisional emergency operating center has also been activated, this includes the Northern Division, the Central Division, the Eastern Division as well as the Western Division.

Director for the Fiji Meteorological Services, Misaeli Funaki says that while the current system is slow-moving, Fijians need to be prepared with the cyclone forecast at a category two.

“We expect it to become a tropical depression by later tonight and developing further and becoming a tropical cyclone by tomorrow. And as it continues to move in that Eastward direction, we expect to initially move in an Eastward direction but then gradually take a turn and move Southeast and in doing so, we expect it to move very close or right over the Eastern part of Vanualevu on Friday.”

Latest media release on Tropical Disturbance TD04F issued this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/KotQVEFc64

— Metservice Fiji (@FJMETservice) January 15, 2020

On its current path, the incoming tropical cyclone is expected to be in Fiji’s waters tomorrow and will track through Vanualevu, down Lomaiviti and out through the Lau Group.

Meanwhile, the NDMO also acknowledged that for the first time a national emergency taskforce was activated specifically for persons with disabilities.

In addition, the enforcement agencies, the Fiji Police Force and the Republic of Fiji Military Forces are on standby to report to their designated Emergency Operation Centers.