Port Moresby – Communities affected by the king tide-induced flooding will be receiving assistance.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is partnering with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), the Australian Government, and United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to deliver assistance to households affected by king tide-induced flooding in parts of Papua New Guinea.

The assistance will benefit the affected communities including women and children after king tide-induced flooding struck various areas of Manus, East Sepik, and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (AROB) on 3 to 6 December 2021, destroying      several homes and displacing at least 900 people.

At the request of the Papua New Guinea Disaster Management Team, a mechanism co-chaired by the National Disaster Centre (NDC) and United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office, IOM, through funding from USAID joined the inter-agency teams in assessing the damage and losses caused by the flooding. The assessments also identified multi-sectoral needs of the displacement and disaster-affected communities. 

IOM is distributing shelter tool kits, tarpaulins, kitchen utensils, soap, face masks, collapsible water containers, and water treatment tablets made available through UN OCHA, Australian Government, and USAID support to the affected communities.

The shelter tool kits will ensure that at least 900 vulnerable women, girls, men, and boys in Manus, East Sepik, and AROB have the necessary tools to rebuild their homes severely damaged or destroyed by the flooding. Up to 2,000 households will benefit from improved access to drinking water through the distribution of collapsible water containers and water treatment tablet strips.

IOM is distributing these assistance materials in close cooperation with the National Disaster Centre (NDC) and Disaster Centres in Manus, East Sepik, and AROB.

IOM, which leads the Camp Coordination Camp Management, Shelter and Non-Food Items cluster of aid agencies in Papua New Guinea, together with the NDC, is working with Government, UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, and donor partners in promoting shelter recovery and improved access to clean and safe drinking water in communities affected by the flooding.

For further information, please contact IOM Port Moresby. Getachew Mekuria, Tel: +675 4 3213655 Email: gmekuria@iom.int or Peter Murorera, Tel: +675 321 36 55, Email: pmurorera@iom.int