Severe Flooding in Fiji 31st March 2012

[JennyLeez]

30th March 2012
Severe Flooding in Fiji
-Heavy rainfall caused bursting of river banks (Viti Levu) resulting in flash flood
-Severe flood warning issued for Nadi region
-The Fire Service used boats to evacuated people
-Flood affected people are living in 11 evacuation centers
-Flights to and from Nadi have been cancelled
-Recent heavy rainfall is caused by a shallow tropical depression located west-southwest of Nadi


31st March
Update
-Semo bridge in Sigatoka is closed due to flooding.
Korotogo road in Sigatoka and Baleinaga and Naqia bridge in the King Roads is also closed
-Nine schools in Ba have been opened as evacuation centers for the flood victims. Ba is one of the worst affected areas so far.

Update
Several air pacific flights to and from Nadi have been cancelled for March 31st 2012. Flights from Honolulu, Port Vila and Hong Kong to Nadi have been cancelled. Similarly outbound flights to Auckland, Port Vila, Sydney and Hong Kong have also been cancelled.


Severe Flash flood reported in Fiji Islands today. The floods have cut off access to highways and forced evacuations.
At the moment serious situation is in Nadi region. Nadi is the third-largest conurbation in Fiji which is located on the western side of the main island of Viti Levu.
Heavy rains have caused rivers to burst their banks in the west of the main island Viti Levu.
The Fire Service used boats to evacuated people. Flood affected people are living in 11 evacuation centers in different parts of the Islands.
Following fijireporter, hundreds of people have been stranded on their rooftops in Nadi.
Different flights  to and from Nadi have been cancelled.
Recent heavy rainfall is caused by a shallow tropical depression located west-southwest of Nadi.

3 News:

One person has reportedly died and five others are missing in Fiji as wide-spread flooding causes havoc across the small Pacific nation.
Flash flooding has cut highways and forced evacuations, with some residents sheltering from rising waters on rooftops.
Divisional Police Superintendent Jope Ralulu said a woman had been killed in the floods, the Fiji Times website reported on Saturday.
The website also said raging floodwaters along Nadi Back Road on the west coast of the island of Viti Levu had swept away a car with five people inside.
A witness also described seeing another car with two passengers being engulfed by floodwaters on the same road.
A number of people had made desperate calls to the newspaper pleading for help.
Overnight the towns of Nadi, Ba, Tavua, Rakiraki remained flooded with Ba, Lautoka, Rakiraki and Sigatoka cut off.
Torrential rain has pounded Fiji since Wednesday, causing water levels to rise rapidly and stretching emergency services.
Even the Nadi Police station is surrounded by water, making it difficult for officers to venture out.
On Friday Air New Zealand cancelled all flights to Fiji's only international airport in Nadi.
Heavy rains caused rivers to burst their banks in the west of the main island Viti Levu, taking water levels higher than those experienced during a six-day deluge in January which claimed 11 lives, meteorologists said.
The disaster management office, Dismac, said a "massive" number of people were stranded on rooftops awaiting rescue and it appealed for anyone with a boat to help relief efforts.
Up to 11 evacuation centres have opened although no figures detailing how many people were sheltering were immediately available.
The National Weather Forecasting Centre predicted the rain would continue until at least Sunday, accompanied by strong winds on Saturday.
New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was monitoring the situation closely and was in contact with local officials in Fiji.

3 News

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[Mark]

3 dead now.

[JennyLeez]

Update:
Nearly 7000 people have been displaced in flood-stricken Fiji with flooding set to worsen in some areas.
Two people have died in the floods, which have damaged homes and forced nearly 7000 people into evacuation centres.
Fiji officials are considering declaring a state of emergency.
A severe flooding warning remained in place with heavy rain and squally thunderstorms forecast to hit the island group on Sunday, the Fiji Village website reported.
Heavy rain continued in Nadi, which was under about 1.8m of water that seemed to be rising.
The town of Ba was also under about the depth of floodwaters.
On Sunday morning there were 6800 evacuees in 56 evacuation centres in Fiji's Western Division, the website reported.
The Rewa River was also rising to dangerous levels, though conditions had eased in Tavua.
Nadi Airport was open to departing flights, but all inbound Air Pacific flights had been cancelled on Sunday.
A 20-year-old man died after he was washed away by strong currents in Ba on Saturday.
His death followed that of a 29-year-old father of two who died when his family's van was swept away.
Heavy rains from Wednesday caused rivers to burst their banks in the west of the main island Viti Levu.
Water levels were higher than those experienced during a six-day deluge in January which claimed 11 lives, meteorologists said.
New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) says 433 New Zealanders are registered as being in Fiji, with 118 of those in Nadi.
New Zealanders had been affected by the flooding, but MFAT was not aware of any requiring consular assistance, a spokeswoman told NZ Newswire on Sunday.
MFAT was monitoring the situation closely and was in contact with officials in Fiji, she said.



3 News

[JennyLeez]

- HOMES in the Central Division will be without power starting from today as the Fiji Electricity Authority works to keep power supplied to industries and businesses during the day.
FEA chief executive officer Hasmukh Patel confirmed this yesterday, saying power cuts were needed after adverse weather conditions affected a 132,000 volt transmission line that supplies power from the Wailoa Power Station to the division.

- AUTHORITIES are concerned that overcrowding at evacuation centres in the Western Division could lead to the indiscriminate spread of communicable diseases and possibly manufacture outbreaks.
The concern comes after close to 7000 flood victims moved to 88 evacuation centres from Nadroga to Rakiraki yesterday.

- THE flood situation in the Western Division has deteriorated and the number of people seeking shelter at evacuation centres was expected to climb to 10,000 last night, Commissioner Western Commander Joeli Cawaki said.
A massive 7000 people were sheltering in 88 evacuation centres yesterday morning.
This is a significant increase from the over 2400 that were already at 49 centres recorded at sundown Saturday.

Latest from Fiji:
Cyclone Daphne closes in.

Acting director of the National Weather Forecasting Centre, Alipate Waqaicelua said the cyclone has been named Daphne.
He said that close to the centre, the cyclone is expected to have average wind speeds of 55 km per hour.
On this track, the centre is expected lie about 510km to the southwest of Nadi or 510km southwest of Kadavu at 6pm today. It should be about 680km to the south of Nadi or 550km to the south of Kadavu at 6am tomorrow.
A gale warning remains in force for Viti Levu, Yasawa and Mamanuca Group, Southern Lau Group, Kadavu and nearby smaller islands. Damaging gale force winds are expected to average 65km per hour  with momentary gusts of up to 110km per hour.
A strong wind warning remains in force for the rest of the Fiji Group. Severe flood warning remains in force for all major rivers, streams and low-lying areas of Viti Levu.
For mariners, the weather office has warned of gale force winds and damaging heavy swells in the Yasawa and Mananuca Group, Southwest Viti Levu, Southern Lau and Kadavu Passage.

[JennyLeez]

Update
-Two more dead bodies found today, making death toll at six so far. Two bodies were found floating in Waimanu River.
-More than 14,000 people are still taking shelter in different evacuation centers in Fiji.
-PRELIMINARY estimates of the damage sustained by Sigatoka's agricultural sector has been put at $2.5 million.
-AT least 86 per cent of the Western Division has access to electricity by 5pm today.

[JennyLeez]

Update:
-Death toll has now risen to 8. Yesterday a man died by drowning in Waimanu river.
-Still 9,232 people are taking shelter in 77 different evacuation centers in western Division.