To commemorate the International Day for Disaster Reduction at the national level on 13 October 2018, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Centre, in collaboration with Vacoas/Phoenix Municipal Council (one amongst the 12 Local Authorities in Mauritius), organised a simulation exercise for a flooding scenario at La Caverne, Vacoas (a town on the central plateau of Mauritius).
The region of La Caverne was affected by heavy rainfall in February 2018, whereby the students of a primary school were trapped. With prompt intervention by first responders, those trapped students were rescued at that time. The main objective of the flood simulation exercise undertaken on 13 October 2018 was to strengthen the preparedness of authorities and the vulnerable inhabitants to flooding, given that the region was affected by heavy rainfall in February 2018.
Forty-five (45) people, including the inhabitants of La Caverne, students and teachers from the school who were trapped during the heavy rainfall in 2018, took part in the exercise. The NDRRMC Mobile Command Post was used for the command and coordination between responders at the incident area.