LocationsWhen the Sirens Sing: Fiji's Journey to a Future Where Every Warning Counts
July 1, 2025
Cyclone Winston in 2016 reminded us of all that even with preparation, our systems must evolve, with over 40 lives lost, billions in damage and impacting approximately 62% of the country's population.
When the sky darkens over the South Pacific and the air stills, the people of Fiji know the silence. It’s not peace, but the calm before the storm. It’s the stillness that mothers know when they clutch their children a little tighter and fishermen glance a little longer at the horizon before heading home. In a nation forged by the ocean’s bounty and weathered by its rage, early warning is not a luxury—it is a lifeline.
In the early hours of a March morning, a grandmother in Bua heard a single text message beep: “Evacuate to higher ground.” She gathered her grandchildren, grabbed a woven mat, and left the only home she had ever known. Hours later, a flash flood consumed the riverbanks. That message saved five lives. But that was one story. There are too many untold.
Today, we write not merely as officials or technocrats, but as sons of this soil—of villages, of valleys, of vanua and of vaka. And we bring hopeful news.
In February 2025, Fiji secured a transformative FJ$29 million (US$12.9 million) grant from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to advance the Early Warning for All (EW4All) initiative. This initiative aims to enhance early warning systems in climate-vulnerable countries to improve disaster preparedness.
The project is a key contribution to the global EW4All initiative launched by the UN Secretary-General in 2022. It is more than a project. It is a promise. A promise that every Fijian—whether in the deep highlands of Naitasiri or on the far-flung atolls of Lau—will receive timely, accurate, and actionable information that can mean the difference between life and death.
This historic investment will build on Fiji’s proud tradition of resilience and push the boundaries of what early warning can achieve in the face of accelerating climate change.
The Human Cost of Silence
Ask any elder in Fiji, and they will tell you that nature once whispered her intentions. The birds flew low. The seafoam changed colour. The wind shifted with stories. Indigenous knowledge, passed down through generations, was our first early warning system. But today, the climate crisis has turned whispers into screams—storms forming faster, seas rising higher, droughts lasting longer.
Cyclone Winston in 2016 reminded us of all that even with preparation, our systems must evolve. With over 40 lives lost and billions in damage - this powerful Category 5 cyclone caused widespread damage, impacting approximately 62 percent of the country's population and leading to the loss of power and communication systems across many islands.
In addition to the loss of life, the cyclone also damaged or destroyed a significant number of homes, schools, and health facilities, and disrupted basic services. The experiences showed that early warning cannot be a reactive measure. It must be anticipatory, people-centered, and equitable. This is where EW4All steps in—not just to enhance what we know, but to fill the gaps in who is left behind.
In Taveuni, many animals were trapped on farms during Tropical Cyclone Winston, with some dying in the process, severely impacting the livelihoods of the greater community.
A System for Every Fijian, Not Just the Fortunate Few
The GCF funding will radically shift our national capacity in four critical areas.
1. Disaster Risk Knowledge
Fiji will expand hazard mapping and vulnerability assessments to reach communities never before included. Traditional knowledge systems will be blended with cutting-edge geospatial data, so that every warning issued is grounded in both wisdom and science.
2. Observation and Forecasting
Weather stations will no longer be distant machines on hills far from the people. With this investment, Fiji will modernize and decentralize forecasting infrastructure—including automated weather stations, cell broadcasting, among others. Fiji’s forecasts will not only predict but also translate risk into clear guidance: "Move now," "Stay here," or "Prepare tomorrow."
3. Dissemination and Communication
What good is a forecast if it doesn’t reach the farmer in Navosa or the nurse on Kadavu Island? This funding will support multi-channel warning systems—from mobile phones and radio to sirens and community megaphones. Warnings will be issued in English, Fijian, Rotuman, Fiji Hindi, and other local languages spoken in the country. No one will be excluded due to language or geography.
4. Preparedness and Response Capability
An early warning is only as effective as the response it enables. Community disaster plans will be updated. Schools will run regular drills. Women’s groups and faith-based organizations will be mobilized as frontline communicators. Early action funds will be pre-positioned so that response is not delayed by bureaucracy.
The Personal Becomes Political
For many years in national platforms, young citizens of the country have been saying that: “they don’t want to learn how to swim to survive. They want to swim for joy.” Their voices often quivered, but it would echo through the halls. This EW4All funding finally gives meaning to their voice.
The GCF grant will touch every province. In the maritime islands, where connectivity is fragile, solar-powered broadcast units will be installed. In informal settlements, where drainage is poor and evacuation is harder, community warning protocols will be co-designed. In schools and churches, cyclone-resistant safe shelters equipped with emergency supplies and early warning receivers will be installed.
A number of community leaders, first responders, teachers, and youth in early warning literacy will be trained. This is more than a technical skill—it is a social contract between the government and the governed. A contract built on trust, access, and inclusion.
Severe flooding from Tropical Cyclone Josie left communities underwater, damaging homes, crops, and livelihoods.
Why This Matters Now
Fiji is on the frontlines of climate change, but we are also on the frontlines of solutions. This project is not a siloed intervention. It aligns directly with the Climate Change Act, Disaster Risk Reduction Policy, and National Adaptation Plan. It contributes to achieving the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Paris Agreement.
But above all, it fulfills a moral obligation: to protect our people before the danger arrives—not after it strikes.
This project is a partnership—between the Government of Fiji, the UN system, the private sector, civil society, and development partners. And it is deeply anchored in community-led approaches. We are not just building a network of sensors; we are building a culture of preparedness, a generation of citizens who understand risk and act early.
A Story of Hope in the Eye of the Storm
Let us return to the grandmother in Bua. In the next cyclone, she won’t rely on one message. She will receive multiple warnings—on her radio, through her village headman, from a siren on the hill, and perhaps from her granddaughter, now trained as a community climate youth leader.
She will walk not in panic, but with purpose. Her mat won’t be a sign of displacement, but of resilience.
This is the Fiji we are building—where every child grows up knowing that danger is not destiny, and that their government and the development partners stands ready to inform, protect, and empower them.
The Call Forward
We invite every Fijian to be part of this journey. Talk to your village council. Join the next emergency drill. Learn how to read a weather alert. Ask questions. Share knowledge. Let the elders speak of the signs they once saw. Let the youth code the apps they wish they had during past storms. Let women lead preparedness efforts, not only as caregivers but as commanders of safety.
This is our time to listen—to nature, to data, to each other.
Because the next time the sirens sing, we will be ready. And we will not only survive. We will thrive.
This project will be co-implemented by the UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji together with key partners, including the National Disaster Risk Management Office under the Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, the International Telecommunication Union, the World Meteorological Organization, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the Ministry of Communications.
We extend our sincere gratitude to all stakeholders who contributed to the project funding proposal process, including the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure - Infrastructure Resilience Accelerator Fund for their co-financing agreement, as well as direct co-financing support from the Government of Fiji.