The proposed new National Building Codes will ensure buildings used as evacuation centres during natural disasters are protected from Category 5 storms.
While conducting a public consultation on the proposed legislation, policy planning consultant Janis Fedorowick said these building standards would ensure the safety of Fijians.
“We embraced the new building codes that were introduced by the Fiji Engineers Institute two years ago because we want the maximum protection for Fiji,” she said.
“So the new standards will ensure that buildings of importance such as schools, churches, and gymnasiums or basically buildings that will act as an evacuation centre during a natural disaster are able to withstand a Category 5 storm.
“These buildings should be designed at a top level so we will be protected from a Category 5 storm.”
She said while these buildings demanded a significant investment, they recognised that ordinary Fijians may not be able to build homes that live up to these proposed codes.
“We do recognise that although we would like to have every single building in Fiji be protected from a Category 5 storm, it would not be financially possible for a number of people.
“What we have decided to do was to have a varying scale of compliance based on the level of importance of building and if it could be used as an evacuation centre or not.
“So buildings of importance would be able to withstand a Category 5 storm and other buildings would be to a lesser degree.
“A lesser degree building would likely be one that is able to withstand a Category 4 storm.
“If you have a building that is protected from a Category 4 storm then when a Category 5 storm like Cyclone Winston hits, the building is likely not to collapse but will take some damage of some sort.
“So it should not result in a loss of life but will require some repairs.”
