Children and elders bathing near Namuana village rushed out of the waters as soon as they received the tsunami warning alert yesterday morning.
“It was high tide too and everyone was bathing in the sea. Mostly the kids and the old people, we had to call them all out,” said Waisea Tokaiqali, Turaga ni Koro of Namuana, Kadavu.
There are 130 people living in the village.
Mr Tokaiqali said: “As soon as I got the warning, I alerted the entire village and I tried to look out to the sea if there are any changes.”
He said they believed the warning and took it seriously.
“I received a call from the Police Station then one of them visited us to see if the message was delivered,” he said.
The evacuation centre, Namuana Village Community Hall outside the village.
Villagers were worried and feared for their safety and took shelter there.
Silent prayers were made by fearful villagers who were hoping and praying that a miracle would happen, he said.
They felt relieved after they were informed hours later that the tsunami warning was cancelled.
Three villages are located near the shore.
According to him, there was no rain or sunshine when the warning was issued but darkness filled the sky and the sea was calm.
Constable Timoci Tokaiqali, Kadavu Police Post said: “The weather here is normal but windy and calm seas.”
After receiving the warning, he was and twenty-five Police officers informed the villages in the low lying areas.
“We only warned villagers in low-lying areas,” he said.
According to him there are around seventy-five villages, in which half are located in the low-lying areas.
“When we called and warned those in the low-lying areas, they responded very well,” he said.
After receiving the cancellation, the villagers had moved back to their houses immediately, he said.
The island has a population of 11,000.
Constable Timoci said it was not difficult when reaching out to the more than 500 villagers.
Edited by Maraia Vula
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