Fiji floods: Rain stops but hundreds left homeless

  • Breaking
  • 25/01/2012

3 News reporter Tony Reid is in Nadi - watch his report

Fiji is suffering its worst flooding in three years, some streets in Nadi have been waist deep in water and tonight more than 1000 people are in evacuation centres.

At least two people are dead and hundreds more have been made homeless on the main island Viti Levu. Over 1000 people are being held in 49 evacuation centres.

No tourists are stranded on the outer islands and no flights out of Nadi have been disrupted, according to the Fijian Ministry of Information.

Around 400 New Zealanders are currently holidaying in Fiji and officials are scrambling to evacuate holidaymakers amid a break in the weather.

A deep tropical depression brought the torrential rain, 600 millimetres in the past three days up until 9 this morning.

The hardest hit area is the Western District of Viti Levu, where the Nadi River has burst its banks.

Despite the extensive flooding, Fijian officials are refusing to declare a state of emergency.

Curfew introduced

A curfew has been implemented in Nadi that restricts movement in flood-affected areas from 6:00pm to 6:00am.

"To ensure security and safety of the central business districts for all towns and cities the enforcement of restriction of movement is now enforced to ensure the maintenance of security, safety and confidence to the business communities," the ministry says. "This restriction of movement will end when flood waters subside and business returns to normal."

"No short term change is expected to the current situation, and flooding is likely to continue through to the end of tomorrow [Wednesday] at least," the NaDraki Weather Service reported.

A similar depression killed 12 people and caused millions of dollars of damage in 2010.

3 News / RadioLIVE

source: newshub archive