BY PAUL MAIMA
NINE homes in Porebada village, Hiri LLG of Central Province were completely ravaged by strong winds last Thursday.
It is a week now, but disaster relief assistance from both the provincial and national disaster offices have not responded in any form yet.
The nine homes houses 200 families who are now seeking temporary shelters with other family members in the village.
They are like internally displaced refugees.
The strong monsoon winds partially destroyed 40 other homes and a four in one classroom at Porebada Primary School.
The school is currently under suspension taking an early Easter Holiday break.
The destroyed homes were built on stilt mangrove posts on sea that can last up to more than twenty years before being replaced.
Through a press statement on Monday( Post Courier page 3) Member for Hiri- Koiari, Keith Iduhu said he had already assigned a technical team from his office to work with the Central Provincial disaster office to assess the situation and compile a report for immediate relief assistance.
Those who are affected have mobilized themselves and are now seeking for assistance from the government, NGO, corporate companies and International donors.
The cost of repairing the total damage are estimated to be more than a million kina.
Those living along the Papuan coast including Porebada village are now in confrontation with the reality of climate change.
Strong winds are literary sinking the homes onto the rising seas triggered by climate change.
This could be the tip of the ice berg of more natural disasters prone to happen as a result of the Climate Change impacts in the future.
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