By DAVID TERRY
THE death toll in the flood-hit Oro province has climbed to 75, with authorities warning the number could rise higher.
Disaster officials in the province say 50 people were registered as missing after heavy rain and strong winds destroyed roads and bridges and left thousands homeless and without food and water.
Cabinet is expected to meet today to declare a State of Emergency in the province.
Nearly all the bridges in the province has been destroyed, including the main roads, and Works and Transport Minister Don Polye estimates that about K220 million in urgent funding is needed to reconstruct those infrastructure.
Works Department officials’ assessment of damages in the floods at K2 billion.
Mr Polye toured the province by helicopter last Saturday, accompanied by Inter-Government Relations Minister Job Pomat, National Disaster Services and Works Department officials and Oro Governor Suckling Tamanabae.
“It’s a sad situation there. Almost the whole province is under water,” Mr Polye said.
The 4,622 sq km landmass from Kokoda to Ambasi in the Sohe electorate, to Tufi and Afore in Ijivitari electorate the Higaturu Oil Palm blocks and Popondetta town are the worst affected.
The Ijivitari electorate with an estimated 67,975 people and Sohe electorate with and estimated 65,090 people are affected by the flooding. Their sources of food and water have been destroyed.
Governor Tamanabae called for assistance from the Government and donors, his own provincial government approving K1 million for relief assistance.
He said the situation was more severe than the 1951 Mt Lamington volcanic eruption.
He feared that hundreds more people would die from diseases and starvation.
In a briefing with the governor last night in Popondetta, health authorities expressed fears about the possible outbreak of water-borne diseases like cholera, dysentery, diarrhoea and malaria because of the lack of clean drinking water and proper sanitation.
The provincial health authorities have contacted Port Moresby to supply urgent medical supplies to Popondetta to treat the multitude of people affected by the disaster.
Governor Tamanabae said a disaster relief trust fund would be established immediately and a team would be put in place to manage and distribute food, medicine, shelter, blankets, cooking utensils and clean drinking water for the people.
The governor distributed some food to parts of the province yesterday by helicopter and the flights carrying much needed food supplies bought from the initial K100,000 will resume today.
Two vessels carrying food and fuel for Popondetta on their usual monthly runs are berthed at the Oro Bay wharf and the provincial authorities are working around the clock to unload the cargo for immediate distribution throughout the province.
Due to the road inaccessibility, the cargo may be ferried by tug boats from Oro Bay to Gona mission station and transported by road up into Popondetta and the outlying areas for immediate distribution.
The Oro provincial executive council have also resolved to mobilise K1 million from the provincial purse to purchase immediate relief supplies for the worst affected areas including Tufi/Wanigela, Oro Bay, Eroro, Afore, Cape Killerton, Buna/Sanananda, Bareji, Kurereda, Hombariri, Horay, Kausada, Hariko, Barisari, Omborada, Batari, Ambassi and inland from Binanbere to Kokoda.
Up to 28 bridges and culvert drainage or 95% of the roads and bridges structure throughout the Oro province have been washed away, literally crippling the entire province and, according to the provincial Works engineer Andrew Kendaura, the cost of reconstruction of these assets would mount to hundreds of millions of kina.
Governor Tamanabae said a care centre had been set up in Taibe in the Tamate LLG area in Sohe district to take in displaced people and more care centres were being established throughout the province.
Provincial health authorities told Governor Tamanabae last night that the Popondetta General Hospital had been placed on emergency mode and was expecting an influx of casualties within the next few days.