9 Dec 2009

PNG flood victims about to get help

2:50 pm on 9 December 2009

About 5,000 people in flood-stricken Oro province in Papua New Guinea are set to receive relief supplies from today.

Three teams evaluating the area have returned confirming that about 5,000 people are affected by last week's floods, but a fourth team, assessing an area with about 6,000 people, is yet to come back.

The provincial disaster coordinator, Albert Bogembo, says aid workers will deliver assistance to the families whose food gardens and property have been destroyed.

"We will be supplying particularily rice and vegetables because there's continuous rain and flooding. The team will be reaching them by dingy, which is a boat."

Albert Bogembo says the provincial government has committed 13,000 US dollars towards the relief effort.