Tsunami drills conducted by schools

It takes only 1 hour for a tsunami to reach the coastlines in Fiji after a warning is issued for the Tongan and Vanuatu Trench Region.

That is the main reason why more than 11,000 students and 565 staff from 21 schools in the Suva Peninsula and the Nasinu coastal areas conducted a tsunami evacuation mock drill this afternoon.

Chief Exercise Coordinator from the Ministry of Education, Iosefo Volau said that though tsunamis are rare in Fiji, it is always safe to have such drills to prepare for the worst case scenario.

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This is a concerted effort by the Education Ministry and the National Disaster Management Office to coordinate the safe evacuation of school children, teachers and workers from the vulnerable schools to the identified evacuation areas.

Schools that took part in the mock drill included Suva Grammar, Veiuto, Draiba Primary School, Laucala Bay Secondary, Marcellin Primary, Ratu Sukuna Memorial School, John Wesley College and Nasinu Secondary School to name a few.

It took all students and staff to reach their safe spots in 15 minutes.

Story by: Selina Navuso