Cyclone Winston

 Friday, February 20th, at 4:30PM Mountain Standard Time, Rachel's parents logged online to watch the Temple Dedicatoin celebration. 

We thought it odd that it had already started, and that there were no decorations. It was funny that they kept mentioning how nice the weather was inside, and in the closing prayer they prayed for everyone to "get home in safety." 

 It was a beautiful celebration, however, and we didnt think another thing about it till we received a phone call at 3:40 AM our time. It was our Stake President telling us about the Cyclone that had hit Suva in full force, just after the celebration but not to worry, that Rachel was safely accounted for.!

We have received only one email since (after the storm had passed by), stating again that Rachel was safe. 

 It has been a full week now and still no word since. But we have been gathering pictures and news clips.

 Australia is sending a relief ship to Fiji to assist in the recovery effort after Cyclone Winston, the worst ever recorded in the southern hemisphere, tore through the island nation last Saturday, as the sheer scale of the disaster becomes clearer.

The death toll from the category five storm remains at 42, according to a statement from Fiji's National Disaster Management Office, although that figure is expected to rise.

Many communities remain without water and it could be weeks before electricity is restored, the statement said.

The scale of damage and loss is becoming apparent to authorities and aid organizations as communications are being gradually restored throughout the archipelago.

UNICEF spokeswoman Alice Clements said her organization now estimates that more than 62,000 Fijians are homeless and living in evacuation shelters.

Alice Clements, a UNICEF aid worker, told Reuters by phone from Nadi, Fiji's main tourism hub, that some communities had been totally destroyed but that rebuilding had already begun.

"People are going out during the day to recover what they can, it's not like they're sitting in the shelters helpless, they are salvaging what they can and dusting themselves off," Clements said.

Ahmad Sami, the acting head of the International Red Cross in the Pacific, said providing shelter and water remained immediate priorities.

"Volunteers on the ground are saying the destruction is like nothing which they have ever seen before," Sami said.

"Houses have collapsed, communications are still down, power transmission is down, wharves are still not accessible and roads and highways have been damaged," he said.