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McLarens Catastrophe Response – Tropical Cyclone Winston

Tropical Cyclone Winston made landfall on Fiji on Saturday, 20 February 2016 causing widespread damage across the island. Winston was a category 5 event with reported winds of 140 mph and gusts of up to 200 mph.  It is the strongest typhoon ever to hit Fiji.

To date, it has been confirmed that multiple people were killed and numerous villages completely destroyed. Currently, a curfew remains in place and there is interruption to power services, so the full details of the extent of damage are still emerging.

Photo credit: ABC Australia via Facebook: Fiji Government.

Photo credit: ABC Australia via Facebook: Fiji Government.

McLarens are the only firm of international loss adjusters with established offices in Fiji.  Over the course of the weekend, we monitored the effects of Winston and co-ordinated with our clients to provide an immediate response once the cyclone had passed. Our catastrophe response plan has now been activated, with staff from across Australia and Asia now travelling to Fiji to support the local operations in the response. Senior adjusters attending include Tony Chapman from Singapore and Stephen Grandidge from Australia.

Ken McHugh – Manager South Pacific/Chartered Loss Adjuster, Fiji

Andrew Cotton – Resident Loss Adjuster, Fiji

Tony Chapman – Complex Loss Adjuster, Singapore

Stephen Grandidge – Chartered Loss Adjuster, Australia

Russell Henderson – Regional Managing Director Asia Pacific, Hong Kong

Andrew Ballard – London Liaison, UK