News

Cooking pot used to flee floodwaters

February 2, 2021 10:37 am

Children of Vunivaivai Settlement holding the pot in which they were transported in at the height of TC Ana.

Women, children and the elderly of Vunivaivai Settlement in Labasa had to be put inside a large cooking pot and taken to safe grounds at the height of TC Ana.

Resident Luke Nasaroa told FBC News that when the Qawa River burst its banks around 2am on Sunday, water gushed into their settlement and into their homes.

Nasaroa says the floodwaters even entered the hall and church where they were taking shelter.

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He says the men of the settlement then used a large cooking pot to transport the elderly, women and children to two homes that were not affected.

Nasaroa says they remained in the flooded village all of Sunday morning and were assisted by RFMF engineers at around 3pm.

The 10 families were taken in several boatloads to the Sukanaivalu Barracks and then to the Vatunibale Church for shelter.

They started cleaning up their homes yesterday.