The first-ever tsunami drill to be undertaken on a rural community in Fiji has been held at Lavena village in Taveuni.
About 350 villagers participated in this drill including men, women, and children.
Lavena village Headman, Petero Waisea says this tsunami drill was set up by their village disaster response committee with the help of some officers from the National Disaster Management office.
Director NDMO Litiana Bainimarama says Lavena Village was one of the communities in Fiji that were badly affected by Cyclone Winston in 2016 where most of the houses were blown away or destroyed extensively.
Bainimarama says the exercise is a significant one for the villagers of Lavena since they are located close to the shores and can be easily affected by tsunami.
She says the NDMO has provided capacity building for the village including a structured approach, a village disaster committee and a standard operating procedure for the school.
