People told to take disaster seriously

Left: Liamo Reef Hotel staff Rachael Koiyaye inspecting the volcanic dust
covering car at the hotel car park in Kimbe, West New Britain yesterday.
– Nationalpics by Clifford Faiparik

By JOYCE INGIPA
PAPUA New Guinea must take serious and affirmative action to beef up its disaster and risk management efforts, says National Disaster Centre assistant director (Risk Management) Kaigabu Kamnanaya.
“The Government has decentralised the efforts from national to provincial, district and local level government (LLG) levels. All levels must now be fully resourced with funds so that they can respond swiftly and effectively to outbreak of disasters.
“At the moment, some provinces have only one person while others have no office,” he said at the PNG National Disaster Risk Management Workshop in Port Moresby yesterday.
Kamnanaya said he believed the new Government would look into the disaster management needs in Budget 2020.
“It is relieving to receive support from the Australian Government through its defence force in times of emergency.
But it is also crucial for the PNG Government to be serious about disaster risk management services to filter down to villages.”
He said PNG on responded to disasters at ad hoc basis.
“When disaster occurs we respond and we call it disaster management. But that is only a minor part of it. We have to look at the risks and take precautionary measures,” he added.“We have to be prepared always so that the cost of disaster can be minimised or lessened with anticipation.
“We assist only during the response phase and leave the rest to the government of the day,” Kamnanaya said, adding that assistance should be provided not only during a disaster and recovery stage, but before a disaster.
“Now, when disaster strikes, we supply the affected people with rice and flours, and that is it. We have to understand risk and when disaster strikes, we already know what to do and how to respond effectively and efficiently.
“The purpose of this workshop is to collate the views of national agencies for the National Reduction Risk Action Plan (2017-2030) and identify priorities and achievable actions to enhance risk management,” he added.
The workshop was facilitated by the National Disaster Centre in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme and Emergency Management Australia.

Left: Ulawun is one of Papua New Guinea’s most active and
most dangerous volcanoes. It erupted on Wednesday morning.