Security and Emergencies

 

General Precautions

Suva is a relatively peaceful city.  Walking around Suva is considered safe during the day, but as with any large city, you need to take the usual precautions of keeping valuables out of sight and being vigilant.  It is not safe to walk around Suva at night and precautions should be taken.  If you are unable to park close to your destination, you should take a taxi – these are safe and cheap.

 

Due to a relatively high rate of unemployment and poverty in and around Suva, there are robberies/muggings reported. Take care of your belongings when on the streets, in cinemas, cafes and restaurants. When taking money out of an ATM machine, be vigilant as there have been reports of being followed and then robbed when going to your car/ house etc. There have been car break-ins and street muggings, even during the day, though these are rare.   It is recommended to lock car doors as soon as you are inside the car, and keeping your bag securely across your shoulders when our walking.   If asking for directions whilst in a car, make sure you keep only one window down, as people have been known to reach in and steal mobile phones etc., from inside the car. 

 

Residential burglaries are unfortunately on the rise (sometimes accompanied by violence), so care needs to be taken at night to ensure your residence is secure.  Many houses are fitted with alarm systems, and your UN agency will reimburse the cost of guards.  Make sure you have a plan for the event of an attempted break-in, including how to alert your guard, how to set off the panic button on your alarm and how to leave your house as quickly as possible.  Do NOT confront the offenders, who may be armed with cane knives or metal bars. In general, Suva is quite safe during the day and you should experience no trouble, but just be mindful, use common sense and take sensible precautions.

 

There is an increase in burglaries over long weekends, so be extra vigilant at such times.  When you are away, if you do not have someone staying at your house, try to make it look as though you are not away – leave one or two internal lights on (use low-watt bulbs).

 

The UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) is responsible for providing leadership, operational support and oversight of the security management system to enable the safest and most efficient conduct of the programmes and activities of the United Nations System. For more information, you can visit their.

 

From time to time UN LESA and UNDSS organize security briefs on Personal Security for spouses. If you would like to take part in the event, please let us know.

 

The UNDSS has a radio room service to call in case of any emergency. You can get the numbers from UNDSS or your UN agency. Please also ensure that your number has been given to UNDSS, so that you can receive their SMS, which are sent in case of an emergency.

 

Emergency Service

• Police:  917

• Ambulance:  911

• Fire:  911

 

 

Ambulance:  If the patient is able to travel by car, this may be faster than waiting for an ambulance!

 

 

Police:  Make sure you also know the phone number of your nearest police post, as they may respond more quickly to a call.  If your police post does not have a vehicle available, you may need to send a taxi to speed up the response!

 

• Central Police Station:  331-1222

• Flagstaff Police Post:  330-7900

• Muanikau Police Post:  330-0888

• Suva Point Police Post:  330-7057

• Raiwaqa Police Post:  338-3222

• Samabula Police Post:  338-1222

• Namadi Police Post:  332-2431

• Tamavua Police Post:  332-0731

• Lami Police Post:  336-1222

 

 

Natural hazards

Staff members and their families are responsible for their own safety. When faced with a sudden onset event such as earthquake or tsunami, you must act immediately and cannot wait for instructions from UNDSS or your respective UN agency. If time allows you should follow advice from the national authorities in the first instance and the UN as applicable.

 

The DSS team is of course prepared to brief your members on these and other safety and security issues of concern.

 

Have a look at "SafeSteps" a very helpful website with information for preparation for natural hazard events (endorsed by IFRC).

 

 

Cyclones

Cyclones are more likely to occur during the wet season, from November to April.  A severe cyclone is terrifying, and can cause a huge amount of destruction – luckily these do not occur often in Fiji.  However, even a minor cyclone can be disruptive.  After Cyclone Gene (Category 1 on a scale of 1 to 5) in January 2008 it took up to five days to restore power and water to parts of Suva, and a day or two to restore phone lines.  It also took some time to clear roads of foliage and trees, especially in the Domain/Muanikau area.  Since then, there has been Cyclone Mitch (Dec 2009) and threat of Cyclone Tomas (March 2010), both causing minimal damage.

  

You will usually have plenty of warning about a possible cyclone, and can follow the path of a cyclone yourself on the Meteorology Department’s website.

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Also, check the NaDraki Facebook page (Na Draki is the Fijian word for weather).  NaDraki is run by a highly regarded meteorologist that the UN uses for firsthand advice when cyclones are approaching.  During periods when cyclones are in the vicinity NaDraki will provide Facebook updates usually twice per day, and more so when a significant cyclone is affecting Fiji.

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You should make your house as safe as possible by:

• Ensuring all doors and windows are securely closed

• Placing shutters over windows if your house has them

• Taping windows if you don’t have shutters (although some windows and doors now have thick, laminated glass which will supposedly withstand the force of a cyclone)

• Taking down your Sky Pacific satellite dish if you have one (Fiji One issues instructions during the cyclone season on how to do this)

• Moving outside objects which may turn into flying missiles in the force of the cyclone – pot plants, outside furniture etc

 

You should determine where the safest place in your house is – possibly a basement room, or a room with windows facing away from the direction of the cyclone.  Essential items should be moved to this space, and all household members should move to this area if you become concerned about the force of the winds.

 

Surviving Cyclones:  Preparation and Safety Procedures

 

 

Tsunamis

People living in lower lying areas (particularly Nasese, Suva Point and lower lying areas in Lami) should be prepared to move quickly in the event of a tsunami warning.  Although a tsunami is a rare event in Fiji (the last happened over fifty years ago), warnings are given after any sizable earthquake in the South Pacific.  In theory, warnings should reach your local police post, who then alert all houses in the neighbourhood. UNDSS also often alerts staff living in these areas. The most recent warnings were issued in Feb 2010, March 2011, Feb 2013.

 

See here the latest information on tsunamis in Fiji: Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre

 

Useful downloads:

 

"Sensing a tsunami" info sheet

 

"Tsunami preparation" info sheet

 

"Tsunami safety rules" info sheet

 

 

Try this app: Earth Girl

Preparing for the Tsunami is an interactive game about making strategic decisions that can directly increase the survival rate in coastal communities during earthquakes and tsunamis. Earth Girl is the host and guide, and the player is the protagonist of this disaster scenario.

 

 

EMERGENCY CHECKLIST

When instructed to remain indoors during an Emergency, you should have a supply of drinking water and food to last all household members (including staff who may be unable to leave your residence) for several days.  Items should be checked and replaced if necessary every 6 months.  Suggested items:

• Bottled water – 4 litres per person per day (a person should normally drink 2 litres of water per day, the additional 2 litres will be for household use - sanitation, food preparation etc)

• Water purification tablets or filters or water dispensers

• Fill up bathtubs, jerry cans, buckets and other available items with tap water for use of bathrooms and showers

• A 5 day supply of non-perishable food items.  Foods should be those that do not require refrigeration.  As water may be limited, choose foods that require little water to prepare.

Suugested food items:

• Canned meats, soups, fruits and vegetables

• Dry goods (noodles, cereals etc)

• Canned juices

• Staples (flour, salt, sugar etc)

• High energy foods (e.g., protein bars)

Household essentials:

• Stock of gas canisters for gas stoves, etc.

• Cooking utensils

• Matches or lighters

• Candles, torch and spare batteries

• Electricity charged torches should be fully charged

• Soap

• Garbage bags and cleaning supplies (including bleach)

• Radio (preferably wind up)

• Can opener

• Personal hygiene supplies (toilet paper, sanitary products, tissues etc)

• First aid kit

• Buckets 

• Blankets or sleeping bags

• Communications Equipment

• Mobile telephone

• Spare batteries for all communications equipment, fully charged at all times (wherever possible)

 

IN CASE OF EVACUATION

Prepare a ‘Grab Bag’ that is adequately stocked with personal items and does not weigh more than 10 kilograms.  The aim of this is to be prepared to quickly grab important belongings in the event of a decision to relocate or evacuate.  The following items should be included in your bag:

• Passport and driver license (ensure you have scanned electronic copies of these saved in your emails or external drives as well)

• Identification cards

• Communications equipment/spare charger/replacement air time

• Key contact list, note book

• Medical records/immunization cards

• Spare glasses

• Medications and prescription medicines

• Credit cards, cheques, traveller cheques and/or cash

• Important documents such as Wills and Personal Assets List

• Laptop and other smaller electronic equipment

• Personal items and toiletries

• Change of clothes (seasonally appropriate) and comfortable shoes

• Water bottle

• 24 hour supply of food

• Spare keys for residence, office, car

• Have several hundred dollars in cash available at all times

• Ensure that you have enough fuel in your car to drive to Nadi at any time