21 November 2007

THE Salvation Army in Papua New Guinea is responding to Cyclone Guba which has caused devastating flooding in the country's eastern provinces. Official statistics report the death toll at 163 but this is expected to increase as health experts predict a sharp rise in water-borne diseases – including cholera, dysentery and malaria – because of the widespread flooding.

Around 150,000 people have been affected as a result of Cyclone Guba, with more than 1,000 displaced or missing. The damage has been estimated at US$70 million and officials have declared a state of emergency.

In Popondetta, Captain Kila Gaba heads up a team of health workers and volunteers who are doing all they can with limited resources. The Salvation Army’s Disaster Team in the capital, Port Moresby, is getting ready to be flown to Popondetta by the PNG Defence Force.

Roads, bridges and farmland have been destroyed and there is immediate need for food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities and medical supplies. Many villages were built on river banks and low-lying areas, which is why more than 450 houses have been destroyed, with flood waters reaching roof level. In an area where 85 per cent of the population rely on subsistence farming, immediate aid is vital in ensuring this tragedy does not claim even more victims. Police spokesman David Terry told Reuters News Agency: 'The people have been without food and water for several days now.'

Lieut-Colonel James Condon, Chief Secretary of The Salvation Army's Papua New Guinea Territory, reports: ‘The Salvation Army has secured supplies to take to the disaster area which include food, shelter, fresh water, medicine, mosquito nets and clothing. We are addressing the communities’ immediate needs as the first step along the road to recovery from Cyclone Guba.'

Funding is being urgently sought to help the victims of a major disaster that seems to have been ignored by most of the world's media. 

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