A PIONEER resident of Nawaka Tramline settlement in Nadi says he has given up on moving to evacuation centres whenever floodwaters strike.
Roneel Ravinesh Prasad, 38, said apart from overcrowding and food availability issues, he had an elderly mother to consider.
And one of his biggest priorities was the safety and security of his home.
He said his family had been living there since 1985. When his forefathers first built their home there was no one there.
“We have experienced 25 floods and been through so many cyclones and in my view — the best thing to do is to make sure your home is strong and secure so that when natural disasters strike, you don’t have to go anywhere.
“People who have left their homes and gone to evacuation centres sometimes return to their homes and find that a lot of stuff is missing. A lot of times it’s not from floods but from people taking advantage of the situation and this is not right.”
Mr Prasad said about 3000 people lived in Nawaka Tramline settlement and a number of them had sought refuge at St Andrew Primary School on Sunday when flooding associated with Tropical Cyclone Josie swept through Nadi.
