SDD Newsletter - March 2016

Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) in the Pacific Islands – standards, best practice, and lessons learnt
Registrars, statisticians and health information specialists from across the Pacific gathered in Noumea, New Caledonia (in February 22–25), to share experiences and lessons on improving civil registration and vital statistics systems and data.

Cyclone Winston Potential Impacted Population

Tropical cyclone Winston
On the night of 20 February 2016, Fiji was hit by tropical cyclone Winston. The category 5 cyclone was the strongest to ever hit Fiji, and one of the strongest in Pacific history. Sustained winds of 230 km per hour struck the north of Viti Levu and left a trail of destruction, directly impacting at least 40% (347,000 people) of the Fijian population living within 50 km of the eye of the cyclone. Initial damage estimates are already over half a billion US dollars.