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Definition of flood
Flood refers to the possibility of a rise in water level outside of the normal range in a stream or other water body that results in the overflow of water, including events such as river flood, flash flood, urban flood, and stormwater flood.

Common causes of flooding in Fiji
Topography: Fiji is located in the south pacific and has a tropical oceanic climate. Its two largest islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, are over 1000 metres above sea level. Viti Levu's mountain range creates distinct wet and dry climatic zones on its windward and leeward sides. This geographical topography results in Fiji's rainy season lasting from November to April, with significant variations in rainfall between regions and most of the rainfall occurring in the form of heavy but brief localised showers.

Weather pattern: Tropical cyclones and tropical depressions are the most common cause of severe flooding in Fiji. Also, rainfall in Fiji is highly variable and the seasonality of rainfall is strongly influenced by the movement of the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) can also lead to extreme weather events.

2012 Fiji flood
2012 Fiji flood continued from January 21st to February 12th, with heavy rains causing flooding to hit Vanua and western Viti Levu. Nadi, Lautoka, Ba, Tavua and Rakiraki were the worst affected areas. The damage caused by this flood to all other institutions including the government was $4,256,726.00 and many infrastructure utilities and agricultural sectors were damaged.

Causes of 2012 Fiji flood
2012 Fiji flood was mainly due to a trough of low pressure associated with a tropical disturbance affecting the western part of Fiji, which combined with a slow moving convergence zone and transient ridges of high pressure resulted in the country experiencing heavy rainfall and flooding. Between 22nd and 24th of January, Fiji received more than 200mm of rain, with Vatukoula recording the highest rainfall of 863.4mm. This exceeded the usual rainfall of 373 mm on the western part of Viti Levu in Fiji's wettest January. The northwesterly winds on January 24th pushed a layer of monsoon air over Fiji, resulting in torrential downpours in the western and northern parts of the island again. It extended from Vanuatu, Vanuatu to Fiji and then south-east to Tonga, Tonga, causing severe flooding of major rivers, streams and low-lying areas as well as the towns of Lakilaki, Ba and Nadi.