Fiji’s prime minister has blamed climate change for a cyclone which killed five people and caused severe flooding, saying the Pacific nation is now under constant threat and has entered a “frightening new era”.

As authorities tried to restore power and water supplies across various islands, Frank Bainimarama said Fiji was facing a “fight for our very survival” and urged other countries to support efforts to tackle the causes of climate change.

"We are now at an almost constant level of threat from these extreme weather events that are becoming more frequent and more severe because of climate change," he said.

"As a nation we are starting to build our resilience in response to the frightening new era that is upon us."

Cyclone Josie brought torrential rains and led to heavy flooding on the weekend. It came just six weeks after Cyclone Gita in February, which caused some property damage in Fiji but devastated Tonga, and two years after Cyclone Winston, which killed 44 people.