More flooding and landslides in Fiji

The town of Rakiraki on the northern coast of Vitu Levu is completely cut off, with all roads under water.
Heavy rain and flooding continues to hit part of Fiji.
The town of Rakiraki on the northern coast of Vitu Levu is completely cut off, with all roads under water.
On Qamea island homes have swept into sea after a massive landslide, reports the Fiji Times.

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 Pictures of Syria Park, Nausori.

Villager Paulo Sakaraia told the newspaper that people had to run for their lives early in the morning.
"It was lucky that the landslide happened at 6am this morning while there was a bit of light and people could find their way out of their homes," he said. 
"More than half of the village is covered in soil and debris and it is very hard to move around the village."
The country has been hit by a tropical depression which is bringing low pressure and rain.

Bron: http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/south-pacific/87746713/More-flooding-and-landslides-in-Fiji 

Fiji floods: Days of torrential rain cause severe flooding and landslides, with more rain forecast

Days of torrential rain have caused severe flooding in parts of Fiji as towns lie underwater, and flood warnings remain in place across much of the country's main island of Viti Levu.
After the first tropical depression of the cyclone season, emergency authorities have moved people to evacuation centres on higher ground after many major roads were blocked by water or landslides and water levels continued to rise.

Fijian journalist Joe Yaya told Pacific Beat that while the weather was improving, the emergency was far from over near the Rewa River, east of the capital, Suva.

"The rain has stopped but the river is still rising — it's way past the four-metre level," he said.

"The danger is because four other rivers from the northern interior of Viti Levu flow directly into the Rewa river, so it still poses a real threat to the people that live along the delta areas of the river where Nausori town and the airport is as well.

"The total number of households that were still living in tents from Cyclone Winston have gone past 3,000 and these people have been absorbed into 50 or so evacuation centres that have been set up.

"Some of these families are frustrated, disappointed that Government has not assisted them over the past 10 months since Winston damaged their properties and livelihoods."

Residents of Dreketi village on Qamea Island in the northern division had a lucky escape when half their community was washed into the sea after six days of rain caused massive landslides.

The rocks and mud buried many buildings, including the village hall, school and health centre.

Pastor Mikaele Gawake told Pacific Beat about 15 structures were completely destroyed, the rest of the village was knee-deep in mud and the community was without water.

He said it was morning when the landslides hit and everyone managed to escape, although one person was injured in a neighbouring village.

Pastor Gawake said the landslides came in waves: "The third one covered one settlement, completely damaged — the water catchment and the water system, all destroyed."

"We are worried about more landslides because the rain is continuing falling."

On Monday, Fiji Airways redirected international flights from Auckland and Sydney to Nadi airport.

Pastor Maika Rainima, a community leader in Nakelo village near Nausori airport, said people were still heading to evacuation centres and the rain was continuing.
He said there were fears the Rewa River would rise because many of the villages at its source in the mountains were underwater
"Water just keeps on increasing even though it's not raining heavily here."

Pastor Rainima said about 500 families were now living in evacuation centres in the Nausori area after floods and landslides damaged their homes and the road infrastructure.

Fiji floods to increase damage bill left by Winston

Yaya said the cost of damage to houses and infrastructure across the country would inflate the bill of $1.3 billion, left by the category five Cyclone Winston which hit the archipelago in February.

He said although the full extent of the damage would not be known until local authorities carried out assessments once the weather improved, the destruction so far would indicate a bill running into hundreds of millions of dollars.

Yaya said people who had been displaced in the past week had already been asking for Government assistance.


"So I think the problem will be now not only will they have to cater for the 3,000 that have been left homeless and living in tents since Winston, but there will be an increase in those that will have to be put up in some sort of makeshift shelter until things get sorted out."

Yaya said communities and the authorities had taken precautions and were well-prepared.
"The nation knows the kind of weather patterns that are ahead and it's just disheartening that this is happening just 10 months after a massive cyclone like Winston grabbed our nation."


Flood warnings remain in place across most of the main island of Viti Levu and a heavy rain warning is in force across much of the country.

"It seems like this rain will not stop for the next two days and that's a worry ... because the [Rewa] River is already at a high level and that will cause major flooding," Pastor Rainima said.

Forecaster Neville Koop from the Na Draki Weather Service said the tropical depression had hardly moved for days, sitting north-west of Fiji, but said it started to speed up on Monday afternoon.

"It's just started to move very quickly all of a sudden and it's probably going to cross the coast close to Nadi and move across the south-western tip of the main island [of Viti Levu] and then head south into open ocean," Mr Koop said.

"So this won't last very long — the heavy rains should start to clear [on Monday night].

"[But] there's still a lot of water in the interior that's got to come down the rivers ... the flood waters will probably peak early Tuesday morning and then start to slowly decrease."

Bron: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-19/days-of-torrential-rain-causes-severe-flooding-in-parts-of-fiji/8131844  | Gewijzigd: 30 januari 2017, 12:45 uur, door Joyce.s