Relief supplies airlifted to SHP villages hit by floods

 DISASTER-stricken people in the remote parts of Kagua district, Southern Highlands, started receiving relief supplies last Wednesday.

The people in the Kagua local level government areas received food and other supplies at the Wapusalle airstrip. A chartered plane made several flights from Mendi and delivered rice, tinned fish, cooking oil and noodles as promised by local Kagua-Erave MP, James Lagea.

The relief supplies and charter of the plane was jointly funded by Lagea and the National Disaster and Emergency Services office.

About 5000 people were affected when landslips and flooding hit the area five weeks ago.

Wapusalle ward councillor Jack Sie said the people did not have cooking pots. “We are happy with our local MP, the provincial and national disaster office for giving us relief supplies. But we do not have pots to cook our food,” he said.

Sie said all villages and gardens located along the fertile river banks were destroyed and washed away.

“My people and others living in two other council wards want to build new houses but we don’t have saws, hammers, nails, axes, bush-knives and spades to clear the ground,” he said.