Australia and New Zealand have begun airlifting aid to the Pacific island nation of Fiji, battered by a powerful cyclone which sparked sea surges.The planes are taking relief supplies, including tarpaulins, and are also carrying out surveys of the damage.<br/><br/>A state of emergency was declared after Cyclone Tomas struck on Monday and Tuesday, battering the north and east. <br/><br/>So far only one death has been confirmed. However, the director of the country's National Disaster Management Office, Pajiliai Dobui, said there were unconfirmed reports of a few deaths. <br/><br/>Mr Dobui said those this is the longest and the strongest cyclone they have ever come across and the most destructive.The full extent of the damage is still unknown because communication lines with the hardest-hit remote areas were cut off for days.