Economic Costs of the 2009 Floods in the Fiji Sugar Belt and Policy Implications

Abstract

The January 2009 floods in Fiji were reported as the worst in the history of the country since the 1931 floods. Many parts of the country were affected by a number of consecutive flood events that spread over several days. The floods affected areas from Western Viti Levu where the impact was greatest, to the Northern and Central Divisions of Fiji. With excessive rainfall experienced for over a week most of the low lying areas in the country were under water for days and in places experienced flood levels of up to 3-5 metres.