Awareness competition
THREE students were on cloud nine after they were selected winners of the 2020 National Disaster Awareness Week competition.
Year 10 student of Sigatoka Methodist High School, Immanuel Saxena, who won the Best Video category, said his participation in the competition was motivated by his experiences of past disasters and the fact that the community he lived in had also been prone to disasters over the years.
Immanuel said, over the years he witnessed how his family and community prepared for emergencies and disasters.
“As a student, education and awareness is the foundation to a good and happy life. One must always be prepared as we cannot stop natural disasters, but we can arm ourselves with knowledge so that lives are not lost,” said Immanuel.
The Best Poster winner Ashley Raj said the platform provided by the competition allowed her to showcase her talent on a very integral issue affecting Fijians — the need to be prepared for natural disasters.
The Year 12 student of Lautoka Andhra Sangam College said every year natural disasters tend to be more powerful, bringing uncontrolled devastation and losses.
“The need to be prepared for disasters plays a significant role in mitigating its effects. We need to be responsible citizens and understand that if we are prepared for disasters, we are not only protecting our families, but we are supporting our country to brace for the chaos created by natural disasters,” she said.
University of the South Pacific student Mereani Ilimotama won the community hazard map category. She said sending in her entry for the competition was not difficult as her village had also been prone to flooding — something she had witnessed since she was a little girl.
“I’ve seen how it affects the people in the village and how it could put them at more risk if nothing is done in case of any major flooding or accidents in the future,” she said
“Disaster preparedness is very important and it is everyone’s responsibility to be prepared in case of any disaster that may occur at any time. Family members of special needs must be taken care of first as movements during the disaster occurrence would bring them harm or even worse, death, so warnings and necessary precautions must be taken to avoid any further or future repercussions.”
NDMO Director Vasiti Soko congratulated the winners and said the NDMO had been overwhelmed by the response received from the public for the competition.
“The NDMO wishes to acknowledge all individuals who took their time to participate by sending in their entries for the competition,” she said.
“We are pleased to note that our work and messaging on disaster preparedness have been very well-received by members of the public. This was evident in the entries we had received during the course of the competition.
“We continue to urge Fijians to ensure their families are always prepared during times of disasters, and I am confident that the winners of last year’s competition will play an integral role in raising awareness on this in their respective communities.”
NDMO acknowledges its donor partners — the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction Pacific Office and the World Food Programme for coming on board to sponsor the prizes for last year’s NDAW competition.