SITIVENI Yalodina stood rooted to the spot when the roof of his home was ripped off at the height of Hurricane Tomas.
The 13-year-old was fleeing to higher ground at Naduna, Labasa, when he turned to see the roof lifted off.
It was to him an unforgettable, horrifying moment.
When his father Jeremaia Raitiko decided to evacuate his family to higher ground, floodwaters were below the floor of their home at Naduna.
When Cyclone Ami struck in 2003, Siti was was just six years old and barely remembers much about it. "When the wind started getting really strong, dad told me to stay indoors," he said.
"I thought we were safe inside the house but the house started to shake when the wind hit it.
"We moved out right away and when I turned around I could see the roof fly off like paper.
"I was scared but my father told me to keep walking."
The Raitiko family needed a punt to get to their home yesterday.
Mr Raitiko said it would take up to two months to rebuild their home. Most of their furniture and other personal items had been destroyed by the rain.
Yesterday, the family salvaged whatever they could.
- Fiji Times
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