Immersive VR Video Capturing Reality and Aftermath of Cyclone that Devastated Fiji
Have you ever imagined losing everything you have in a matter of hours?
Back in February, the island of Fiji was hit badly by a category five Cyclone Winston – the most powerful storms ever recorded in the southern hemisphere. The storm killed 42 people and flattened settlements, local communities will never forget the few hours it took for them to lose everything, including family and friends. Tens of thousands of people in Fiji are currently living in evacuation centers. This 360 video captured the hardship of living condition in the island of Fiji.
Satellite images show the before and after damage imagery from Cyclone Winston
There are less than a million people living in Fiji, spread out on islands thousands of square miles apart, making it extremely difficult to accurately assess the damage of the cyclone. The severe tropical cyclone hit Fiji this month with winds gusts up to 325km/h and waves up to 12 metres high.Unicef spokeswoman Alice Clements said that is incredibly hard to estimate how many people in total were forced from their houses.
“There are still some pieces of the picture missing but we do know that approximately 7.2% (62,400) of Fiji’s population are in 875 evacuation centres, with many staying with relatives or in other places away from home,” Unicef New Zealand’s executive director, Vivien Maidaborn, said in a statement.
Immersive Journalism Allow Empathy Over What Fiji People Are Going Through
ONE News reporter Chris Chang visited Rakiraki in the north of Fiji’s main island, and recorded this 360 video illustrating the clean-up efforts so we can get a better perspective of what the local people are going through. In this 360 video we can clearly see a local school with its walls, windows, and roof completely torn off, as well as a local man showing us ow his house was completely destroyed.
Simple Guide on How To Watch and Interact W/ YouTube 360 Degree Video
From computer
YouTube supports playback of 360 videos from the latest version of Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Opera browsers. Safari is not supported.
From mobile and tablets
To watch and interact with YouTube 360 videos, be sure to you have updated your device with the latest version of the app. For viewing YouTube videos, you will want to copy the video title name below:
Cyclone Winston Fiji Aftermath 360
Then open the YouTube app, and paste into the search box.
For an immersive experience, you can watch 360 degree videos with Cardboard via the YouTube app. Once the 360 video is launched, simply click the Cardboard icon on the lower right corner and insert phone into the Cardboard.
Local officials report that the Cyclone Winston destroyed more than 1,000 homes in Rakiraki, a major town on the north coast of Fiji’s main island Viti Levu, and 500 homes have been partially damaged. The Red Cross has been taking aid parcels to Rakiraki but the new fear is now disease.
“In times of flooding, there is an increase in water-borne diseases such as diarrhoea, eye infections and the spread of mosquito diseases such as dengue fever and the Zika virus,” Fiji’s representative at the UN children’s agency, UNICEF, Alice Clements, said.
National Disaster Management Office director Akapusi Tuifagalele said about 14,000 people remained in evacuation centres, including nearly 6,500 in the Western Division. Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said it could take years for Fiji to recover.
“134 schools have been destroyed, severely damaged or are being used as evacuation centres.”
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