Nawaka family heeds advice
Afamily of 11 from Nawaka, in Nadi, has done the needful by packing up and heading for higher ground. “We have got no choice but to leave all our belongings behind and move to higher ground,’’ said Darvind Chand. His family will join around 100 people living in nearby settlements in Nawaka who have taken shelter at Saint Andrew’s Primary School, the nearest evacuation centre.
Tropical Cyclone Keni was forecast to develop into a Category 2 cyclone and bring with it heavy downpour. When the Fiji Sun arrived at his home yesterday, Mr Chand, 38, was putting up shutters with the help of his brother-in-law Shalesh Kumar, 35.
“We have started packing all essential items we need like blankets, pillows and basic food items,’’ Mr Chand said. “Unfortunately we won’t be able to take everything with us, it’s basically leaving everything behind and running for our lives. We are preparing ourselves for the worst.’’
Mr Chand said for the past 20 years he has been living in Nawaka they had always experienced flooding during a cyclone. “We have learnt our lessons from the previous experiences. Once the cyclone warning was issued we started putting up shutters and stocking up on food rations, including bottled water to sustain us for the next few days,” he said. Mr Chand lives with his extended family which consists of two elderly persons and five children.
After every cyclone, Mr Chand said his family would lose around $5000 worth of household items.
“At least for this cyclone it comes with a warning when compared to the previous ones where we were not ready at all,” he said.