FAMILIES in the Central Division suffered thousands of dollars in damages because of flooding on Sunday night.

Shalen Singh, 48, a construction worker from the Muslim League Settlement in Nabua, said he lost over $15,000 worth of electrical construction equipment to the floodwaters.

“I couldn’t move the equipment to a safer place because the water rose so quickly,” Mr Singh said.

“When the rain first got heavy, I drove my car to a friend’s place and parked it safely. But by the time I returned, the rain had intensified, and the water level kept rising.

“With the help of my wife and children, I tried moving our belongings higher inside the house, but the water just kept coming.

“I realised I wouldn’t be able to save anything, so I focused solely on my family’s safety.”

Mr Singh said he was shocked to see a thief attempting to steal a solar panel from his roof in the middle of the downpour.

“At first, I thought he was trying to escape the flood, but no — he was after the solar panel. This is the first time I’ve seen flooding like this in our area. I believe all the homes and families near the creek suffered similar damages and losses.”

Meanwhile, 68-year-old Joe Rokoyawa of Nasevou St, Lami, said he lost nearly $20,000 worth of household items in the flood. “The water rose so quickly, and the blackout in our area made things worse because we couldn’t do anything in the dark,” Mr Rokoyawa said.

“Years of our hard work have been swept away by the floodwaters.”