Labasa resident Manoa Tutalai, 24, will never forget Thursday, October 18, 2018.

It was the day he crossed a flooded road with the help of the Fiji Roads Authority (FRA).

Mr Tutalai and a six-man work team left Labasa early that morning for work in Savusavu.

“It had rained heavily in the morning when we reached Savusavu, but I never thought that flooding on such a scale would happen,” he said.

“Then we went to work at Namale Resort during midday and while returning our worst fears came true.

“This made us quite worried thinking that we may have to stay back in Savusavu for the night.”

Once they reached the airport junction in Savusavu they saw that the road was flooded and forunately the FRA came to the rescue.

Mr Tutalai said a lot of traffic had accumulated on the roads. However, he was grateful that he reached home safely at around 7pm that same day.

While urging people to be careful in flooded areas, Mr Tutalai said he was concerned with the number of children who tend to play near flooded areas.

Mr Tutalai said that safety was paramount and such events may turn out to be dangerous for children.

Meanwhile, in a statement the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) advised parents and teachers to monitor the whereabouts of children at all times and keep them away from floodwaters.

Edited by Epineri Vula

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