BANGKOK, 25 November 2007 (IRIN) - Humanitarian aid, including food, water, medicine and shelter is increasingly reaching more remote parts of Papua New Guinea's Oro and Milne Bay Provinces in the eastern part of the country following widespread flooding and high tides a week-and-a-half ago from slow-moving tropical cyclone Guba.

The PNG National Disaster Centre reports that 163 people were killed, 13,000 displaced and upwards of 1,000 homes destroyed, but the numbers are expected to rise as access to remote areas improves. Some 145,000 people have been affected by the flooding in Oro Province alone, according to the centre.

The government declared a state of emergency on 19 November, and government disaster centres were quickly established in the country's capital, Port Moresby, and in Popondetta, the capital of Ora Province, which was virtually cut off due to damage to its roads, bridges and other infrastructure. Popondetta itself has been without potable water due to severe damage to the city's treatment plants and storage tanks.

Picking up

Rescue and assistance efforts by the PNG defence forces and humanitarian agencies "is picking up momentum," according to Antonio Massella, of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The response to the disaster in the initial days was slowed considerably by continuing heavy rains from the slowly passing cyclone. Travel to the most affected areas is still hampered by extensive damage, particularly in the mountainous regions of Papua New Guinea's eastern provinces.

Rebecca Vince, emergency coordinator for Oxfam in Papua New Guinea, told IRIN that in the early days "the overall response was challenging . . . it was difficult to travel to the large provinces which had been most damaged," she said. "There were no roads or bridges, they had all been washed away." She says access is still limited but getting better, adding "we now have access to Australian helicopters."

Data is being compiled on overall damage, immediate needs, such as food, water and shelter, as well as longer-term reconstruction requirements, according to the National Disaster Centre. A series of damage assessment missions, including government, UN agency and NGO representation, in the field since 23 November, are beginning to report back. The Anglican church, local groups and NGOs are playing an important role in identifying and responding to needs in the remote areas, according to Massella.

Coordination

Oxfam's Vince said "various actors in the disaster response are now coordinating well and on a multi-sectoral basis."

On 21 November the PNG government made a formal request to the international community and local agencies for assistance, including medical supplies, water purification tablets, water containers, emergency shelter, blankets and generators. Australia, Japan, the US, France and others have responded with financial or in-kind commitments. A number of agencies with on-going operations in PNG, including WHO, UNICEF, Caritas, World Vision and IFRC, are providing assistance.

The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) is providing financial support and logistical assistance, including the use of transport aircraft and helicopters.

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