Papua New Guinea

Members of the affected community survey floods in Oro Province, Papua New Guinea.

Ben Hemingway/USAID

Unusually heavy rainfall beginning in December 2011 resulted in floods and landslides across Papua New Guinea. As of January 26, 2012, the floods and landslides had displaced an estimated 11,000 people in Oro Province and affected tens of thousands of people in Enga, Morobe, Jiwaka, Southern Highlands, and Western Highlands provinces. On January 25, a landslide extending 2 km damaged or destroyed two villages near Tari town in Southern Highlands Province and severed access to an airport and nearby villages, according to international media. The floods and landslides also damaged crops, houses, and roads.

USG HUMANITARIAN FUNDING PROVIDED IN FY 2012

*This figure includes funding for both disaster response and disaster risk reduction activities (As of August 13, 2012).

East Asia and the Pacific DRR Fact Sheet #1 (281kb PDF) and map (179kb PDF)

Key Developments

On January 26, 2012, U.S. Ambassador Teddy B. Taylor declared a disaster due to the effects of the floods. In response, USAID/OFDA immediately provided emergency shelter; water, sanitation, and hygiene; and other relief commodities. Following an assessment of humanitarian conditions in Papua New Guinea by a USAID/OFDA regional advisor, USAID/OFDA increased assistance to a total of $350,000. Flood response programs included support for affected riverside farmers through trainings on crop production and agribusiness, with topics including early maturing crops, food storage techniques, seed multiplication, quality control, business management skills, vegetable production, and marketing. In addition, a USAID/OFDA program trained communities to form local disaster management committees and map hazards near their homes as a means of becoming better prepared for future disasters.