For the second time this year, parts of Fiji are flooded. Heavy rain has caused a lot of damage in the western part of Fiji. There are flooded rivers and roads, fallen trees and land slides down steep hills. The main town of Nadi and the road to the airport are closed. The government of Fiji has asked tourists not to come. Meanwhile many tourists waiting at the airport cannot leave. Air Pacific has cancelled all flights but Air New Zealand hopes to fly an empty plane from Auckland tomorrow to bring home tourists.
Fiji is a popular place for New Zealanders to go on holiday. Tourism is very important for Fiji’s economy.
The heavy rain will probably not stop before Tuesday. There is a possibility of a cyclone also which will make the situation worse. Already two people have died and some others are missing. The earlier flood in January left 11 people dead.
To hear more about New Zealanders’ holiday travels, listen to December 27th 2011 .
Vocabulary
cyclone – violent tropical storm, typhoon
Grammar
make the situation worse
This is a useful structure – to make s.t. + comparative adjective e.g. to make s.t. better / worse / easier / more difficult / heavier / lighter / cleaner etc.
Pronunciation
Nadi is pronounced with an ‘n’ in Fijian language.