Community tsunami readiness & resilience boosted through collaboration

Live & Learn Fiji in collaboration with stakeholders, successfully completed a week long Tsunami Ready Recognition Workshop in the Province of Nadroga-Navosa, empowering community members to be able to coordinate community preparedness and respond to a tsunami threat.

The week-long workshop, held over four days from the 9^th to the 13^th of this month brought together the communities of Rukurukulevu, Cuvu, Tore, and Yadua and will benefit 1, 368 persons. The training provided will strengthen local tsunami preparedness and build safer, more resilient coastal communities. These four communities are among six selected communities in Fiji that have undergone Tsunami Ready training, marking an important milestone for community-based disaster preparedness in the country.

 53 year old Naomi who is a member of the Rukurukulevu Disaster Committee shared that the training improved community preparedness and that the newly installed signage has made evacuation routes clear, ensuring everyone knows where to go in the event of a tsunami.

The Cuvu District previously completed Tsunami Ready training in March 2025, delivered in partnership with the Mineral Resources Department – Seismology Section, UNESCO, and the Nadroga Navosa EOC. The recent workshop built on this foundation by reinforcing coordination, planning, and practical preparedness actions at the community level.

The workshop was implemented in collaboration with the National Disaster Risk Management Office (NDRMO), Plan International, Partners in Community Development Fiji, IOM Fiji, UNESCO, Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development – PA Nadroga Navosa Office, Roko Tui Nadroga Office and the Cuvu community. The workshop and practical drill were funded by IOM Fiji and the Government of Japan as part of their Early Warning Systems Project.

The Tsunami Ready Programme, led by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), supports global efforts to strengthen preparedness and build safer, more resilient coastal communities worldwide.

Throughout the week, participating communities:

• Completed tsunami evacuation mapping
• Strengthened preparedness and response planning
• Installed tsunami evacuation and safety signage
• Conducted a full practical tsunami drill involving all four communities

This collaborative effort highlights the importance of strong partnerships, local leadership, and community-driven action in strengthening disaster preparedness and reducing tsunami risk across Fiji’s coastal communities.