Around 60 people who reside in Koromakawa village in Nadi are now calling on authorities to rescue them.

Malolo resident Rohit Sharma says his family members had contacted him saying they did move to higher ground but the rising water level has not put them in danger.

“My cousins live in Nadi and are asking for my help to come and rescue them but I am helpless as the roads are now closed. The high ground they moved to is now in danger of being flooded.”

Sharma says he has tried contacting the relevant authorities but could not reach anyone.

“We tried calling 917, but they told us that they don’t have any boat where as 911 was not answered.”

Meanwhile, the Fiji Police Force is urging members of the public to remain calm as they are doing all they can to gather boats available in flooded areas to assist those in dire need of rescuing.

“We wish to clarify an issue brought to our attention that people have tried calling 917 or 919 with regards to assistance. These numbers have been flooded with calls for assistance. We would like to reassure you that we have all your numbers and we are in the process of acquiring boats in the Nadi area to facilitate with the rescue efforts. But again to people who are able to move around, please do not wait for nightfall, the Nadi weather office has said the weather could deteriorate further and we are urging you all to move to safe places before nightfall.”

As the heavy rain and strong winds continue to cause havoc in the Western division, more people are coming forward to give an account of what they are going through.

Nadi resident Aman Prasad says the flooding they are going through now could be one of the worst yet.

“Our boys from Namoli village this morning saved eight people including 1 baby driving along Nadi back road. At that time the Nadi back road was less than 2 feet of water but we managed to save all of them. Now there was another guy driving an open Nissan pick-up van, we had tried calling him but he insisted that he was taking the van to the Total service station.”

Unfortunately he drowns in his van. Later on we saw a bus, AK Bus, some youths managed to save the driver and the owner. There were about four people stuck on a tree, those people were rescued by youths in the area.
Prasad adds they tried calling for assistance to the relevant authorities.

“We did call 911 and reported the matter and they in turn tried to contact the Namaka Police Station and Nadi Police station but could not get hold of anyone.”

A 6-month old baby along with 13 adults are now stuck on the roof of their house at Savara Road in Navakai, Nadi.

They now fear for their safety as darkness approaches and the parents of the toddler say they hope rescue comes soon.

Ritesh Raj and Sheenal Lata say the water level continues to rise and almost reaching the roof.

Eyewitnesses say people have been stranded on their rooftops as floodwaters rises in settlements in Navakai, Nadi.

Resident George Hicks says they are calling on authorities for immediate evacuation assistance to these families as most of the victims do not know how to swim.

Hicks adds that the panic levels are also rising amongst these residents as they stand to lose visibility with sunset approaching.