WNB sets up crisis unit in Lae

By ALEXANDER NARA
THE West New Britain provincial government has established a co-ordination centre in Lae to assist survivors and relatives of those who lost their lives or are still missing.
WNB Governor Peter Humphreys and the provincial administrator Steven Raphael said the centre at the Morobe provincial disaster office – plus one to be set up provincial disaster office in Kimbe – were to assist their people.
The centres would be managed by a disaster coordinating team headed by deputy provincial administrator Lt-Col John Porti.
The team left the province on Saturday morning for the Morobe province to assist the families and relatives on information they needed.
The assistance would cover assessment and possible repatriation of survivors, victims and bodies of those who lost their lives back to the province. It would await the final phase of the search and rescue operation.
The coordinating team would also provide counselling and assistance to tertiary students who had lost their education materials and stationery.
They will closely consult with relevant institutions which the students were to attend this year.
Officials have received a manifest of the passengers amid reports that there were some passengers who travelled using other people’s names while others paid cash upon boarding and did not have their names recorded on the list of passengers.