Source: alertnet // Maria Caspani

A Fijian fisherman rows across the harbour in front of Fiji’s capital city Suva as a storm approaches in this file photo taken on December 3, 2006. REUTERS/Tim Wimborne

By Maria Caspani

LONDON (AlertNet) – Floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains have forced thousands from their homes in Fiji’s main island of Viti Levu, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has said.

The Fiji Red Cross Society is helping some 3,000 people in 74 evacuation centres after heavy rains that drenched the flood-prone Pacific island nation for a week washed away homes and crops, leaving communities with no water or power supplies.

“The most immediate need is for food and clean water,” the IFRC said in a statement issued on Friday.

“The loss of crops could also potentially lead to a long-term food security issue, as much of the local population relies on subsistence crops.”

The IFRC said access to most of the affected areas remained a challenge as roads and bridges were not passable, and concerns are mounting as more rain is expected in the coming days.

A state of disaster has been declared in the western areas of Nadi Lautoka, Ba, Sigatoka and Rakiraki and at least six people have died due to flooding and landslides.

The Republic of Fiji has a population of nearly 860,000 and its archipelago comprises more than 800 islands and islets, 110 of which are permanently inhabited.