Five families from Saravi Settlement in Nadi sought shelter at Nadi Muslim Primary School on Monday night.
Settlement advisory Tevita Bulimaiwai moved his family and loved ones to the school about 6pm when floodwaters reached the top floor of their double-storey home.
“We could not save a lot of our things,” Mr Bulimaiwai said.
“We did not have enough time to move our things to safety.
“All we could do was pack one change of clothes and leave.
“Our house is on the top floor, and we were wading in water that reached our stomach.”
He said his neighbour living on the bottom floor had to swim out of their home.
“The water came into the house really quickly.
“It was raining and it was high tide, so the water was coming in different directions.”
He said most of the residents did not want to move.
“I sent a message to the rest of the villagers to move to the evacuation centre but there was no reply.
“A lot of people wanted to stay in their homes.”
He said they would return home once the weather cleared.
“Water collects where the settlement is. There is no place for the water to escape so it settles where we live. It will take a while for the water to go down.
“When it does then we will go back home.”
About 22 people were at Nadi Muslim Primary School on Tuesday.
