Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji

01/27/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/27/2022 17:21

NEW EVACUATION CENTRE FOR NATADRADAVE VILLAGERS-(27-01-2022)

Villagers of Natadradave in Dawasamu, Tailevu now have a safe and secured facility to take refuge in the event of any natural disaster, following the opening of their new evacuation centre today.

The category five-cyclone proof centre was fully funded by the Office of the Prime Minister at a total cost of $358,363.97.

Officially opening the centre was the Commissioner Central Division Mr Josefa Navuku who urged the villagers to take good care of the facility.

Mr Navuku said the Fijian Government, under the sound leadership of the Prime Minister, has yet again delivered another promise to the grassroots people, as part of efforts to foster inclusivity, safety, protection and security.

Also, in the case of natural disasters, Mr Navuku said, government is working to ensure that the construction of these structures are cyclone-compliant and resilient.

At the same time, Mr Navuku also called on villagers to take ownership of development plans in the village for their own benefit.

Village headman Semisi Raselala said they labelled the safe haven as a blessing as it's the first building of its kind to be constructed in the area.

"We directly sought the Prime Minister's assistance during one of his visits to the village in 2016 and he assured us that the centre will be built here," he said.

"In the past, when cyclones would strike, we used to take shelter in our old village hall which was damaged by Tropical Cyclone Winston. We were always worried about our own safety but now, its indeed a great relief that we have a well-structured facility to take shelter in.

"We would like to convey our sincere gratitude to the Prime Minister and the government for its great assistance. This is one of the major projects in the village and we are so grateful to have witnessed this great occasion today.

"This facility will be here in the long run to accommodate our future generation and all we can say is 'thank you very much' to the government."

Mr Raselala also thanked the villagers for their support towards the project.

"This building will also be used for village meetings and other important occasions such as workshops, awareness trainings and also to accommodate other villagers should they need to shelter with us during natural disasters."