Villagers from Laraibina, Madina and Fissoa - along the Boluminsky Highway - said the tides started surging at approximately 2:30am on January 22nd, 2024.
Commonly known as “king tide”, these unusually high water levels are caused by the orbits and alignment of the Earth, moon and sun, and normally occur once or twice in a year.
On mainland Kavieng, several homes, food gardens and water sources were destroyed, with debris strewn along the Boluminsky Highway; reminiscent of the 2009 devastation.