Residents of 8 Miles River-Road in Narere are reeling after floodwaters inundated their homes, destroying nearly all their possessions and leaving them with little more than the clothes they were wearing.
The flooding began around 2 a.m. and continued until approximately 6 a.m.
Ram Chandra, a 60-year-old who has lived in the River-Road settlement for over two decades, described this event as unprecedented for him. “Nothing was left because the floodwaters took everything. This is the first time something like this has happened because before, the floodwaters would come but never this high,” he lamented.
Another resident, Mohammed Dean, who recently moved to the settlement six months ago, was shocked by the severity of the flooding. He played a crucial role in helping Chandra’s family when the waters began to rise in their home.
“I woke up early this morning to my neighbors screaming, thinking they were having a fight, but then I saw water halfway into their house. I managed to help them get to my place by climbing on an old fridge I found lying around, since my house is situated on higher ground compared to theirs,” Dean recounted.
Dean is now seeking government assistance to build a new home, expressing worry for his family’s safety should a similar incident occur in the future. “I need the government to help me build a new house because the one we’re in might not withstand another situation like this. Also, this is not my house,” he stated.
These families represent a small number of those affected by the heavy rainfall currently impacting Suva.