The fury of Manam

Disaster

By Sam Vulum

As if the problems of escalating violent crime and the Bougainville crisis, together with allegations of misconduct by PNG Defence Forces and their implication in the assassination of former Bougainville Premier Theodore Miriung were not enough to rock the country, Papua New Guinea has also to contend with natural disasters.

At the time of writing, 12 people were confirmed dead and several hundred oth ers evacuated from Manam Island, the site of recent volcanic eruptions in the Madang Province.

On December 6, the situation was downgraded from Stage 4 to Stage 2 fol lowing generally reduced eruptive activi ty since December 3 with government authorities monitoring it closely.

PNG Prime Minister Sir Julius Chan said the government had set aisde K 10,000 (SUS74OO) for evacuation, food and medical needs for the victims of the eruptions.

The “Manam situation” was one thing that he had not wanted to happen because of the “difficult times” with the Bougainville crisis, the Rabaul volcanoes, the World Bank and the crime situation.

Sir Julius said.

Of those killed, three had met with their fate when a village was wiped out on December 3. The village of Budua, relo cated after it was similarly destroyed in a 1957 eruption, was reportedly destroyed by a flow of lava fragments accompanied by a cloud of ash and dust. One of the vic tims, a seven-year-old girl, died from seri ous bums on December 4 and two others died on December 5, also from bums, at the Madang hospital.

Several people, including children, were taken off the island suffering from bums and other injuries and were placed at the Bogia health centre on the main land.

Temporary care centres have been established at the Holy Spirit High School at Bogia and additional health staff have

been assigned to the Bogia health centre to help the two Volunteer Service Organisation doctors and existing health staff. Many houses and gardens were damaged by volcanic fragments. Lava had reached the sea within half and hour an of the 3pm eruptions.

Lava fragments and a cloud of gas and ash swept down one of the valley slopes mid-aftemoon, wiping out Budua village.

About 200 Budua villages were caught by surprise when an avalanche of ash and pumice swept down on the south-east side of Manam Island.

Villagers who escaped said when they heard the eruption, they thought it was “just another one”.

“But minutes later it came flashing down. It was red hot ash and pumice. It go pitch dark and there was no way anyone could see,” a villager told Post-Courier reporter Peter Niesi, who visited the

Bogia station on December 4.

Many of the 29 casualties were from Budua village. They were the first to be evacuated to Bogia on a tourist boat, owned and operated by the Melanesian Tourist Services, the Melanesian Discoverer and speed boats. Another boat owned by Lutheran Shipping, MV Nagada, was engaged later to evacuate more people.

The islanders were caught by surprise and many of them fled to the mainland with whatever they could lay their hands on after the eruptions.

About 848 people from Budua, Maduari, Waia and Tabele villages on Manam Island had been evacuated to Bogia. The number of people affected had risen to 2000 and are being cared for at three health centres in Bogia. Relief in terms of food, money and clothing is pouring in to help the displaced islanders.

The volcano on Manam Island