Fiji cancelled all flights going in and out of it on Saturday in preparation for Cyclone Winston, the strongest storm on record to reach the island country. The cyclone has been meandering its way around the Pacific, passing twice over Tonga and gathering intensity the whole time. The storm started out classified as Category 2, then increased to Category 4 and has finally been declared a Category 5 one. It is expected to hit Viti Levu, Fiji’s main island, where more than a third of Fiji’s population lives.

Fiji’s Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said the government had its crisis and evacuation response measures in place. "As a nation we are facing an ordeal of the most grievous kind…We must stick together as a people and look after each other,” he said, according to The Guardian.

Gusts from the cyclone are already touching 360 km per hour. Citizens have rushed to the supermarkets to stock up on supplies, while a curfew has been imposed on public transportation after 5 pm.