SUVA (Pacnews) — Six primary schools in Fiji’s outer islands were forced to close following warnings of damaging high waves expected to hit the Fiji group was issued by the Fiji Meteorology Department, the Sun reports.
The giant swells are a result of a low-pressure system developing over the southeast of New Zealand, and although gradually weakening, it was moving eastward toward the Fiji islands.
But the director of Fiji’s Meteorological Services, Rajendra Prasad, told the Sun that the protection to the coastal areas offered by the strong barrier reefs surrounding the islands drastically reduced the impact of the five meter-high waves.
However, the National Emergency Committee is not taking any chances and has evacuated people living along the low-lying coastal areas until the weather situation improves.
Meanwhile, a regional non-government organization has warned the Forum Economic Ministers Meeting in Vanuatu this week to start thinking about buying insurance cover for the region’s communication and transport infrastructure in case they were destroyed by natural disasters.
The South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission told the Forum that the Pacific region is prone to natural disasters and contingency plans have to be in place to safeguard the existence of resources.
