Fijians are requested to refrain from unnecessary movement that includes swimming in flood waters, loitering, and driving around, said Director National Disaster Management Office, Ms. Vasiti Soko.
“TC Ana made landfall in Ra this morning and is moving over Viti Levu as predicted by the Fiji Meteorological Services . We are in the midst of a cyclone with widespread flooding throughout the country, yet we continue to receive reports of members of the public, adults and children alike wandering around.” said Ms. Soko.
“They should be mindful of the risks they place themselves and members of the Fiji Police Force deployed to rescue them when there is a mishap. Stay home, do not keep the Fiji Police Force from other duties such assisting Fijians move to evacuation centres,” she added.
Parents and guardians are urged to monitor children at all times, following the advice from the Ministry of Education, that schools will be closed till further notice.
Meanwhile, in an update of the status of TC Ana, there are power and water outages in some parts of Fiji, “Energy Fiji Limited and Water Authority of Fiji have advised that their crews will be mobilised after TC Ana has passed, please bear with them for now.”
Ms Soko advised the public to stay away from fallen powerlines and to call Energy Fiji Limited on 913 for emergencies. Fijians affected by the disruption of water supply are advised to boil drinking water to reduce risk of waterborne diseases.
• Today is Day 17 of the 30-Day extension of the Declaration for TC Yasa.
• A total of 204 evacuation centres in the Northern, Eastern, Central and Western Divisions with 7,612 evacuees.
• One drowning casualtiy- a 49 year old man
• Five missing persons reported: two fishermen from Cikobia, Vanua Levu, two fishermen from Vatuwaqa, Suva and a toddler in Lautoka.