A joint working committee for disaster and emergency relief team has been formed in Mt Hagen to help address the disaster relief supply to provinces affected by the catastrophic earthquake.
The working group involves members of the national and provincial disaster office, Papua New Guinea Defence Force, Australian Defence Force, Ipili Pogera Investment (IPI), PNG Red Cross, MAF and other non-government organisations.
Chaired by Papua New Guinea Defence Force Joint Task Force Commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Immanuel Todick, a workable solution had been reached in which IPI transport in Mt Hagen has offered their transport yard to be use as a storage facility.
The donations coming in from other organisations for disaster relief will be packed and stored at the yard before being transported, or airlifted, to care centres in Hela and Southern Highlands provinces this week.
Two PNGDF helicopters and an Australian Hercules C130 are now on standby to provide air support to transport.
(Members of the joint working committee in their second briefing yesterday at Mt Hagen, Western Highlands Province)