A new tool to predict coastal flooding is being trialed in Fiji that could help to limit the damage caused by cyclones.
The coastal inundation forecasting tool is a collaboration between the Pacific Community, the World Meteorological Organisation and the Fiji Met Service.
A coastal oceanographer for the Pacific Community, Cyprien Bosserelle, said the tool can provide an early flood warning for low lying coastal communities.
"One of the lesson learned after Winstone is that a lot of people didn't know what to expect in terms of coastal inundation. It's not just a last minute 'get out' it's more like 'hey, get prepared we have some major event coming, there could be flodding there. If you live really close to the shore you might want to move your belongings, definitely not stay at home for that particular night.'"
Cyprien Bosserelle said the tool was being trialed on Fiji's Coral Coast and could one day provide warnings to other flood prone coasts across the Pacific.
Residents of Korociri settlement cross through the flooded Nadi backroad in Fiji. Photo: Fiji Government
