Landslide victims call for help

PEOPLE affected by a landslide in Tambul, Western Highlands, which claimed 12 lives on March 21, are appealing for support.
The disaster at Lamindi village occurred at 2am, caught the victims by surprise and saw homes and properties including food gardens destroyed.
Among the dead were two pregnant women.
The affected villagers renewed their call to provincial authorities for assistance after some commitments made by the authorities had not been followed through.
The National Gaming Control Board (NGCB) gave K200,000 for relief efforts while the National Disaster Office committed K250,000 and the Western Highlands government promised a funding support of K50,000 to assist them. Landslide disaster relief appeal committee chairman Simon Mapikon said they had received K95,000 in cash from the K200,000 given by the NGCB while the rest had been used to retrieve the bodies (hire of an excavator), to pay for funeral and burial expenses and on food rations.
Mapikon said the commitments from the National Disaster Office and the provincial government were yet to reach them. He said the committee had sought further assistance.
He said the commitments needed to be paid directly to the committee’s bank (BSP) account – Lamindi Disaster Victims Relief Account, No. 7019599435.
He said one of the survivors, a nine-year-old girl lost eight members of her family in the landslide.
“The committee is looking at how it can assist the girl as she is the only survivor and apart from her, we have to look at assisting others who lost their homes and properties as well,” he said.
Mapikon said more than 2,000 were yet to return to their normal lives and needed assistance.
“People need the support (promised) now to rebuild their homes,” he said.