Manam families call for fuel supplies

Twenty-one families of Waia village on Manam Island, who had returned to the island at their own will, are now calling on authorities to provide fuel for them to return to the mainland because of Sunday’s eruption of the volcano.
The villagers had been living at Potsdam Care Centre after the 2005 eruption but had returned to the island because food had become hard to get on the mainland.
The volcano on Manam had a bigger eruption on Sunday evening, spewing ashes as far as Bogia on the mainland.
That eruption has prompted those left on the island to find ways to return to Bogia.
The latest round of evacuations have seen nearly 1000 people leave the island.
It is understood that the Madang government and administration will only be responsible for the evacuation of people from Dugulava and Baliau villages because their return to Manam was forced upon them by violent conflicts with the landowners of Bogia in 2010.
Dugulava ward councillor Paul Maburau said they were still seeing thick smoke from the volcano and at night they could see the volcano spewing hot stones.
Provincial disaster and emergency acting director Rudolf Mongallee said he would wait for the Rabaul Volcanic Observatory to recommend the next move but in the meantime, his team was awaiting the supply of flour for 202 households at Mandi Care Centre in Bogia.
Maburau said there are 2198 people in Baliau village who will need to be evacuated if the situation gets worse on their side of Manam.