Double disaster – No funds, so no aid for Madang flood victims

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The National, Wednesday 03rd April 2013

 By DOROTHY MARK

THE Ramu River has been flooding since last November, severely affecting tens of thou­sands of people living on its banks across three electorates of Madang pro­vince.

And the provincial disaster office is in dire need of funding to provide relief assistance to the people whose sole food source now is sago. 

There are reports of people starving in the Usino-Bundi, Middle Ramu and Bogia areas after being hit by the floods.

Speaking from Annaburg in the Middle Ramu district, community leader Donald Apikal reported yesterday that flood water was up to a meter deep where dry land used to be.

“The Ramu has been in flooding since November,” he said.

“We are only eating sago because we have no food.”

He also said the Annaburg health centre was running low on supplies and most people could not afford the K2 fee.

Cocoa fermentries which process the region’s most popular cash crop are now under water.

Acting director of the Madang disaster office Rudolf Mongalee said they were yet to discuss various disaster reports for the past four weeks.

“Currently the office does not have any funding available to assist or provide relief assistance.”

He said the disaster office was allocated only K100,000 for its operational costs in the past five years. This was paid to the office on a quarterly basis.

The office was also asked to look into the case of missing persons at sea.

Kingsley Yen, the brother of a passenger, said they had been missing for four weeks and needed help.

“The provincial government is a disaster itself when it comes to addressing disaster issues.”

Yen said his brother, who served as a SDA missionary on Bagbag Island, was travelling on a dinghy to Madang from Bagbag with others.

Relatives had requested for an aerial search but were told there were no funds available.

Meanwhile, Charles Napatuk,  a community leader at Damur village in Bogia, also came to the disaster office yesterday to report flooding in the Yawar local level government area.