Here comes the story of the hurricane

Over the next 24 hours I will experience something I’ve yet to experience in Fiji: a hurricane.
It’s no longer a question of whether or not Hurricane Thomas will hit Fiji, it’s just a matter of how hard the disaster will strike.
But doesn’t this hurricane know that we share the same namesake? My middle name is Thomas – doesn’t that grant me some sort of special immunity?
It appears nobody on this tiny Pacific island is immune from Thomas’s destructive wrath. Fiji’s northern islands got their first taste of Thomas late last night. With winds blowing at 160km per hour, the category four hurricane tore roofs off houses and claimed the life of its first victim, a 31-year-old woman who was killed by a giant wave.
Already, thousands of Fijians have been evacuated from their homes and taken to emergency shelters. Schools and public transportation are shut down and the government imposed an 8 p.m. curfew.
Thankfully, the weather in Suva is still stable, albeit windy. I decide to stock up on bottled water and food, and, to my great relief, I discover the grocery store is open.
The store is packed with last-minute shoppers. The shelves are almost empty. The pop, chip and cookies isles are especially hard hit (Fijians aren’t overly health conscious).
On my way home the streets are eerily empty. For the first time in six months I walk a whole block without being honked at by a cab. The only sign of human activity is people boarding up their windows.
You can feel the fear in the air.
Even the street dogs have taken refuge somewhere.
Now back at home, sitting in my flat, I hear the wind picking up outside, and I can’t help but think this is one new experience I could have done without.