On March 20, 1990, a Rakiraki student was washed away by strong currents as floods hit the district, cutting off roads, halting traffic and forcing the early closure of schools and shops.

The Fiji Times reported on the following day that, Saimoni Nakacia, 17, of Vatukacevaceva Village was swimming in a river near the village when he went missing.

Villagers were out in force near the scene as well as further downstream near Naqoro, carrying out a search.

Police were unable to reach the scene because of extensive flooding but said that according to information received, Saimoni’s friends raised the alarm after he went missing.

The friends looked for him but when they could not find him, they went to the village and raised the alarm, leading to a full-scale search.

Saimoni, a Form Six student at a high school in Vaileka, was reported to have gotten caught in a strong current.

Floodwaters blocked off the Kings Rd entrances to Vaileka and entered several shops along the main street.

The chairman of the Rakiraki Rural Local Authority, Musa Ismail, said shopkeepers shifted their stocks high up before floodwaters hit the township.

Buses, taxis and light goods carriers located off the main street had to vacate their stands and shift to higher ground next to the post office.

Mr Ismail said it was the biggest flood to hit Vaileka after the last major one in 1986.

The managing director of AR Dosoo and Co, Ratilal Khatri, said there was water about one metre in his bulk store and several centimetres of water in his main shop at 11am.

“But the water had receded by 1.30pm.”

Mr Khatri said there was no damage to goods because, using experience, he shifted freezers and stock high up early in the morning as the water level rose.

Banks closed early because of the flood situation, with two banks that closed before midday and one about at 2pm.

A spokesman for the Rakiraki education office said schools in affected areas, mostly in and around town, closed early.

A security officer who walked through knee deep water at Penang to get to work said roads to the mills were flooded.

A loader from the mill was used to ferry workers across the flooded stretch as they left for home.

The Naqoro Flats leading off the Kings Rd to Vaileka were flooded at about 11am and were still under about half-a-metre of water in the afternoon.

A number of vehicles were stranded at both ends, among them a police vehicle with several policeman who went out to check a broken power line.

The road supervisor Rakiraki, Asivirosi Dakuiliga, said although water was slowly going down from the previous day, the next high tide at 6pm was expected to push it up again.

He said the roads earlier closed to all traffic were reopened to heavy vehicles as waters receded.

The Barotu Flats, 30km along the Kings Rd from Vaileka towards Suva were covered by water about a metre deep and closed to all traffic.

The Kings Rd at Navolau, about 17km from Vaileka, was also closed because it was under half-a-metre of water.

Bus companies cancelled or recalled buses as they received news of floods along the Kings Rd.

A spokesman for Sunbeam Transport, Abdul Wahab, said one of his buses, which left for Lautoka at 7.50am, was surrounded by water at Nayavu or Barotu.

“But the company managed to recall other buses which left from Suva and Lautoka,” Mr Wahab said.

A spokesman for Vatukoula Express and Flying Prince bus companies said two of their buses were stranded at Korovou.

He said a Flying Prince bus was also stranded at Dobuilevu between Rakiraki and Tailevu but a Vatukoula Express bus which left for Suva at 11.30am was stopped at Tavua.

A spokesman for Valley Buses in Sigatoka said if heavy rain continued, parts of the Valley Rd could be washed away, stopping bus services.

In the previous weeks, heavy rain washed away a bridge at Loma along the Valley Rd.