VERMONT resident Apisai Tuiqere says while Superstorm Sandy was as destructive as predicted, the situation could have been worse had she maintained strength when she pummelled into East Coast America on Monday night.
"It could have been worse. We were lucky the winds which were strong at 1am Tuesday died down before daybreak," he said.
Mr Tuiqere said he was overwhelmed by the response of the emergency teams.
"As soon as the winds weakened you could hear the trucks on the highway —the emergency response teams were clearing debris, and workers from Canada and other states had started moving into cities that were affected by Sandy. It was very well organised."
Counsellor Fiji mission to the United Nations Luke Daunivalu, agreed with Mr Tuiqere.
"Had Sandy not weakened it would have been a different story," he said.
"In New York some areas are more devastated than others, there's flooding. And I stay at Roosevelt Island so I can't access Manhattan."
Lusi Browning of Delaware said they were not affected.
"We were lucky," she said, adding that she had been in touch with other Fijians in the area.
In Washington DC First Secretary Ray Baleikasavu said the Embassy was constantly communicating with Fiji citizens living in areas affected by Sandy.
"That is those living in New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, NY and the greater Northeast areas. Encouraging information have been received; that there are no casualties, and they all are OK and in great spirits," he said.
"Most areas though are in the dark because of power outages and flooding. Movements are still restricted at this point in time as the state of emergency is still in place," he said yesterday.