A Communications Fiji Limited Team led by our News Director, Vijay Narayan is leading to the Western division visiting the flood affected areas will later today visit some of the worse affected areas in Ba.
A number of families affected in Nadi still need urgent assistance and the devastation left behind by the raging floods last week in only now coming to light.
We cross over live to our News Director Vijay Narayan in Nadi.
Narayan, from Nadi said stories of human tragedies are unfolding right before their eyes.
Our News Director relays the ordeal of the family and how they had to flee for their lives during the height of the flash floods.
The aftermath of the worst floods in Fiji experienced last week has seen people without immediate assistance especially in the interior of the Western Division.
The Communications Fiji Limited Team visited the interior of Nadi and places that were inaccessible during the floods like Navakai, Nakavu, Sikituru, Naqalevu and Vuniyasi Koromakawa to assess the damages sustained.
Narayan filed this report from Vuniyasi Koromakawa on one of the organisations which is taking the initiative to cook food, make grocery packages and delivering them to those affected in the interior of Nadi.
An organisation has gone the extra mile in distributing food rations by going to individual households in rural areas in Nadi.
Our CFL Team ran into Rama Krishna Mission's Swami Satnadan who said going house to house is more work but worth every minute to see people get what they need.
He adds the most difficult part of the visits is seeing children suffering and he is calling on people to give what they can.
Also volunteering to help distribute rations is 9 year old Pathik Ram who said he feels sorry for his peers who are suffering.
A family of Votua in Ba is still living on the rooftops two weeks after flood hit their area.
A resident, Ajit Singh told Fijivillage news said there are three families living in his compound and their houses were under flood waters. Singh said they could not save anything in their house.
Singh adds the only clean place in their compound is the roof top.
He said they have been receiving some food items from individuals however this is not enough.
Girls Death Prompts Flood Relief Campaign
The death of her three year old great niece and the plight of other families and friends have prompted a New Zealand worker to mount an appeal for the flood stricken community in Fiji.
Reijeli Tavai who moved to Palmerston North in 2006 said although her immediate family members are safe, her other relatives have been badly affected in the western division.
She said there is no time to mourn over what has gone but to get together and help the people suffering. Tavai's Nephews three year old daughter Rosi Driso was buried in a landslide in Lautoka during the floods.
Tavai said she is collecting clothes, food items, kitchen and cookware from people in Palmerston North which will be shipped to Fiji by the end of this month.
Do Not Forget Us-Koronivia Families
Close to 25 families in the Koronivia area are asking the government not to forget them as they desperately need help to get their children ready for school next week.
Resident Ajay Prasad said many families have had their houses damaged also by the floods and are finding it hard to make ends meet as most are low wage earners.
Prasad said some parents who work on small farms have not had any work for two weeks as most farms have been washed away.
Donors Turning up In Numbers
People are turning up in numbers to donate whatever money they can towards the appeal to Get the Children Back to School.
The Communications Fiji Limited Teams based at various centers say that they are almost reduced to tears to see a family, who were out doing their back to school shopping stopped by and gave whatever money they had left with them.
So far more than $30,000 has been raised so far for the Get the Children Back to School Appeal. The appeal organised by CFL radio stations, Fijivillage and sister stations – Navtarang, Sargam, Viti FM and FM96 along with our website fijivillage.com is aimed at ensuring that funds are raised to help children go back to school when the new school term starts next Monday.
All the cash donations collected for the children will be handed over to Save the Children Fund to assist the children with their school fees and daily bus fare and lunch.
Save the Children Fund's Chief Executive, Chandra Shekhar said they have the mechanisms in place to administer the relief efforts using the same model used to assist children in Vatukoula
to provide fees, lunch money and bus fares.
For those who want to donate cash now to help the children go back to school, you can come here to the home of Fijivillage at 231 Waimanu Road, our Lautoka office at the Sugar Cane Growers Council building and our Labasa office located at 10 Rosawa Street. You can also deposit your donations to the CFL Appeal Account at Westpac, account number 9800-935-794.
