UPDATED 9.36pm: At least five people are believed to be dead as a result of Fiji's encounter with Tropical Cyclone Winston.

LISTEN: Ant Laity: In the middle of Cyclone Winston 

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Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama confirmed the latest death toll this afternoon.

There's a state of emergency in force and a curfew, after the Category Five storm battered Viti Levu with wind gusts of well over 300 kilometres an hour.

It's the strongest storm Fiji has ever seen.

Weatherwatch.co.nz said Winston's eye made landfall in the north of the island last night, and did its worst for about an hour before shifting back out to sea.

Oxfam's Raijeli Nicole was hunkering down in Suva.

She said it was a terrifying night: "Roaring winds and the torrential rain that came with it. But was really terrifying was just hearing things. You know, like trees were starting to fall around us...just not knowing what was going on outside, that was what was really scary."

At the Fiji Met Service, forecaster Amit Singh said the system was over land for two to three hours.

"Houses have blown, roofs have blown, trees... and there's a power cut over the whole of Viti Levu." 

A state of natural disaster has been declared in Fiji, and local media say roads have been washed out or blocked by slips.

Yachts, the power network and houses have been damaged, and a bus was washed inland by a strong tidal wave.

Communications with outlying islands are down, and it's likely to be some days before the full extent of the damage is known.

Singh said the storm is now moving out to sea.

"We still have a damaging swell warning for the whole of Fiji and the heavy rain warning is still in force."

Curfew set to be lifted Monday morning

Fiji's National Disaster Management Office has said the curfew now in place will be lifted early tomorrow morning.

For safety reasons, members of the public have been asked to stay indoors to allow fallen trees to be cleared and power lines to be restored.

The curfew will be lifted and all public transportation will resume at 5.30am local time - 6.30am New Zealand time.

However, the University of the South Pacific, the University of Fiji and the Fiji National University will close tomorrow until further notice.

Schools will remain closed for the rest of the week.

Some set flights to resume into Fiji

Air New Zealand cancelled flights in and out of Nadi today, but has said scheduled services will resume tomorrow.

Fiji Airways said some services out of Nadi tomorrow may operate without their regular catering.

Jetstar's flights between Sydney and Fiji remain cancelled for tomorrow.

A decision on Jetstar's Tuesday flights will be made tomorrow.

Major obstacles for aid relief in devastating aftermath of storm

Communication continues to be a major obstacle for aid workers trying to provide relief to those left devastated by Cyclone Winston.

Ahmad Sami, the acting head of the Red Cross's Suva office, said it's still not clear which areas were worst affected by the ferocious category five storm.

There are reports from some outer islands and remote areas that houses have been seriously impacted but little has been confirmed yet.

Travelling to the islands by sea remains "out of the question" because it is unknown whether jetties are functioning. 

There are hopes today's surveillance flight by a New Zealand Airforce Orion will provide some indication of how to best access isolated areas.

Roads across Fiji have been washed out or blocked by fallen trees, greatly hampering the response and making it difficult for the injured to get to hospital.

Guests camp out in Denerau resort boardroom

The extent of the damage is now becoming clear at a resort in Denerau, where 350 guests spent the night camped out in a boardroom.

General Manager of Sofitel Resort Allan Burrows said things aren't looking great.

"There's an awful lot of damage to gardens, plenty of trees down, plenty of branches and litter everywhere."

Burrows said there's no sign of any major damage to the resort itself.

NZME's Ben Rose spent the night in a boardroom at the Sofitel on Denarau Island.

He said the wind howled all night and rain lashed the island.

Staff screwed batons across the doors of the hotel and the wind and rain was worst from about 11 last night until one in the morning.

Charity to focus on school damage

The charity Save the Children will focus its attention on the damage in schools, once a curfew on movements is lifted.

Its Fiji chief Iris Low-McKenzie said it'll work alongside Fiji's Education Ministry.

 

.@FijiRedCross staff and volunteers prepare to distribute relief items. #TCWinston #CycloneWinston pic.twitter.com/9vuhkcUOPu

— IFRC Asia Pacific (@IFRCAsiaPacific) February 20, 2016