Victims appeal for help

 By GABRIEL FITO

THE Kolembi Landslide Disaster Committee from Nuku in West Sepik is appealing for help to support more than 700 people affected by the recent massive  landslips at Kolembi and King villages.

Committee chairman Jerry Nimoten said continuous landslips in the last two months had destroyed 39 houses, food gardens, cash crops, water sources and displaced hundreds who were living in distress as no relief supplies had reached the village.

Nimoten is asking for cash and goods to help out some desperate villagers. 

The affected people need water containers, food, building material, cooking utensils and medications.

There is bad smell oozing from the village cemetery exposed by rain and landslide.

“Officers from Nuku district and Dreikikir LLG (East Sepik) have visited Kolembi and King villages and are working on their own reports to get government authorities to respond to the disaster. 

But assistance may not come quickly enough as deperation spreads for food and shelter.

“Because our villagers urgently need some form of relief assistance, we have set up the committee to find other ways to gather assistance for our people,” Nimoten said.

“We raised more than K670 last week during a wheelbarrow push in Maprik and we will be conducting other fundraising.

“It is now more than two weeks after the latest landslip and the people are in desperate need of assistance as they have lost household items in homes that were buried by the landslide.”

Those wishing to assist can contact Nimoten on 7261 7465, treasurer John Kantipil on 7352 1224 or deposit their contributions into any Bank South Pacific branch to Kolembi Landslide Disaster, account number 1011718820.

No casualties have been reported but basic source of food such as sago and cocoa trees have been destroyed.

The major landslip measures  about 90m wide and 3.5km long from the top of the Kolembi ridge to the river below where the Kolembi and King villages are located.