The Member for Moresby North-West, Sir Mekere Morauta, says he shares the pain of the families in Gunina, Hanuabada, who lost their homes and property in the fire that swept the area at the weekend.
Fifteen houses were completely destroyed by the fire, twelve were partially destroyed and over 200 families were directly affected.
Sir Mekere said his office and Hanuabada election coordinators were working with the Central Disaster Committee to ascertain what needed to be done and to find resources to help the families.
He said unfortunately, the electorate had not been given any electoral funds, including DSIP, so far at all, so his office had no financial resources to help. His office was however seeking assistance from NCDC.
Sir Mekere is confident that Hanuabadans’ strong sense of village and community spirit would result in the immediate support required by the families affected by the fire, until longer term assistance could be provided.
The sad event also highlighted the increasingly precarious situation of the traditional villages engulfed by the urbanisation of the national capital.
“I hope that this will be a wake-up call to the Motu-Koita Assembly, NCDC and the National Government to help resolve the plight of the villages,” Sir Mekere stated.