More than 600 families from communities in Veifa’a, Aipiana and Apanaipi in Kairuku, Central Province, are still recovering from the January floods.
Heavy and continuous rain, which caused the St Joseph River to flood its banks into the nearby villages, damaged food gardens, human settlements, drowned animals, flooded drinking water wells, schools and the Veifa’a health centre. Since the floods hit, there have been several cases of water borne diseases reported.
Upon receiving the report and assessment made on ground, ChildFund PNG in partnership with Central Provincial Administration, Provincial Disaster Office and the PNG Red Cross and World Vision, have registered affected households and distributed more than 600 hygiene kits to each affected households.
More kits will be delivered in the coming days.
The hygiene kits consist of a 10 Litre collapsible container, water purification tablets, soap, oral hygiene products and a water storage bucket.
Through the field assessment, most of the water sources were contaminated.
The hygiene kits were provided to help prevent water-borne diseases.
Teams have also made awareness and demonstrated how to use each item provided in the kit.
The relief item were received by each chief of the five clans and the community members.
Chief Allan Imamaeva from the Veifa’a Clan said the flood had hit the community in 2014. But it was not as bad as this year’s, which has flooded villages located between and along the Angabana River and the St Joseph River.
The flood this year reached communities, schools and the Veifa’a Health Centre.
We understand such process takes time and we are thankful for the prompt response from the Disaster Response Team.
Chief Imamaeva thanked Red Cross, ChildFund and the provincial disaster teams for the prompt response.
The committee hopes to work together with the Provincial Disaster Division to work on a long term plan to prepare the communities on how to respond to floods, particularly rebuilding water and sanitation facilitates and re-establishing damaged cash crops and food gardens.
ChildFund is also working with Central Province to assist them get prepared for any such disaster in future.
ChildFund PNG said this response was only possible because of support from partners like the PNG Red Cross, World Vision, Colgate-Palmolive, UNDP, WHO, Central Province and concerned individuals.
(Emergency response team sorting out the hygiene kits for distribution at Veifa’a Nursing Collage in Kairuku District)