Disaster plan for village

THE largely ignored plight of Labu Tale villagers since 2009 was highlighted to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) officials during the launch of the community’s disaster preparedness plan.
The IOM, in partnership with the Morobe disaster and emergency services, launched the first ever community-based disaster risk management plan for Labu Tale village on Tuesday, with IOM regional director Andrew Bruce, national disaster and emergency services deputy director Kaigabu Kamnanaya  and provincial director Charlie Masange as witnesses.
In the company of councillor Aaron Aima, Bruce and his senior officials toured the village, especially the affected satellite village of Pigwa which has since been deserted following an early morning raid by Bumatu people from Buang, Bulolo, that saw more than 40 houses burnt down in 2009.
Pigwa is now covered in bush and the only visible signs indicating a settlement are the now abandoned classrooms and teachers’ houses for Labu Tale Primary School and the clinic, which has forced children to attend school in a makeshift classroom and get medical help in Lae.
The visitors went to the graveyard of two men and a woman who were kidnapped and murdered by the Bumatus.
The IOM officials were astounded to find that while migration was normally from one region and country to another, the Labu people were forced to migrate because of troubles in their own tribal neighbourhood.
Aima said they had suffered from natural disasters like occasional flash floods and king tides over the past 15 years.
However, Bruce hailed the community-based disaster risk management plan and appealed for them to teach their children and upcoming generation to embrace what they had learnt to deal with both man-made and natural disasters.
“Teach your young children, it takes leadership to be on alert as disasters are unpredictable,” he said.