Twelve evacuation centres are in operation in the Western Division. This was confirmed by the Minister for Rural, Maritime Development and Disaster Management Sakiasi Ditoka yesterday.

Mr Ditoka said the centres would provide shelter to more than 230 evacuees from 55 households, within the provinces of Nadroga and Ba.

“As of midday today (yesterday), the director NDMO Vasiti Soko confirmed that approximately 12 evacuation centres are presently open in the West,” he said.

“Some of the evacuation centres that were opened last night have closed early this morning as families have safely returned home once floodwaters receded.

“The NDMO has also been working closely with the Fiji Police Force overnight to monitor the water levels at major rivers and flooded roads, bridges and walkways and we can confirm that there have not been any reported cases of injury or casualty.

“We wish to acknowledge families who took the proactive step of moving into their nearest designated evacuation centre as a precautionary measure against the risks posed by the floods.

“We assure the general public that our teams are working round-the-clock to assess the situation of these evacuees and we will assist where necessary.”

Mr Ditoka said the list of designated evacuation centres can be accessed on the NDMO website-www.ndmo.gov.fj

Meanwhile, the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) has forecasted another looming low pressure system to affect the whole of Fiji from next week.

Mr Ditoka said people should not be complacent in their preparation efforts.

“We are not out of the woods yet.

“We are still more than a month away from the end of the current cyclone season, therefore the need to ensure our households are prepared accordingly cannot be overstated. Following our consultations with the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) on Saturday night, we can confirm the two divisions identified as ‘red zones’ for flooding were the Western and Northern Divisions.

“Since this morning (yesterday), I have been in constant communication with the four divisional commissioners to get real-time updates about the situation on the ground.

“From the updates received, we can confirm that we have recorded major flooding in the Western Division overnight, particularly in Nadi, Ba, and Rakiraki.

“Our observations have indicated that flooding in these areas worsened during high tide, while the majority of the areas which were also flooded were low-lying communities and areas prone to flooding during any event of heavy rain.”