Salvos assist landslide victims in Sepik villages

 By GABRIEL FITO

THE Salvation Army, through its Red Shield Appeal, is assisting more than displaced 700 people at King and Kolembi villages, on the border of East and West Sepik provinces.

The two villages were hit by a massive landslide last April after a series of landslips in the past five years.

Sepik Region Salvation Army commander Major David Temine and Lt Steven Maimno last week delivered more than K4,500 worth of building materials to 39 families in the “worst affected category” who needed immediate assistance to erect makeshift shelters.

Kolembi disaster committee chairman Jerry Nimoten said the Salvation Army in Sepik was the first to provide relief supplies after the disaster struck.

“I cried when we received the gifts from Major Temine because government officers from Dreikikir, in East Sepik, and Nuku, in the West, have visited the area and submitted reports to respective provincial administrations but we have yet to receive any assistance,” he said.

“The landslip destroyed 39  homes, food gardens, cash crops, water sources and displaced hundreds who are living in distress as no relief supplies had reached them.

“The people need water containers, food, building materials, cooking utensils and medicine as there is a bad smell coming from the village cemetery exposed by the landslide.”

A skeleton exposed by the landslip was reburied last Wednesday.

Temine and his officers distributed 39 canvasses, 39 water containers, 39 bow saws, 39 bush knives, 39 sharpening files and 10 cartons of nails.