Be proactive, disaster officers told

 Disaster officers must be proactive in ensuring that relief supplies are delivered to drought-stricken areas, says Chief Secretary Isaac Lupari. 

He said that yesterday following reports from Middle Fly in Western of people starving and dying because of lack of relief aid, as well as of supplies being stockpiled in Kiunga without being flown out to the people who needed them.

”We’ve got a Government agency out there which is called the National Disaster  Centre and comes under my scope,” Lupari told The National.

“I recall there was a gentleman called Keith Anderson (former national disaster director) who, when things happened, was already out there organising not only the Government but the private sector, telling the community to rally to support our people. We’ve lost that.

“We’ve got to look at National Disaster, whether it’s got the capacity to be effective, to be able to coordinate with the people when things are happening.

“It’s not only about getting Government funding.

“There are communities who can supply corn, kaukau, taro, yam to support our own people.

“Our people have been doing that for years, but now, it’s all about money, rice, tinned fish.

“What about the community responsibility and ownership that’s always been within our culture?”

Lupari admitted that there was a “limited pool of funds” to attend to current drought and post-drought relief.