Papua New Guinea floods by John Hammond
Officials have declared a state of emergency for eastern parts of Papua New Guinea after torrential rains devastated the province of Oro.
At least 75 people have lost their lives with scores of others still missing from flooding caused by tropical cyclone Guba. The cyclone affected eastern Papua New Guinea as it moved south into the Coral Sea, towards the northeast coast of Australia, where it lingered before weakening to a tropical depression.
Persistent torrential rain fell over a space of five days and produced intense floods which washed away around 500 homes. Roads and bridges were destroyed along with thousands of hectares of farmland. Thousands of villagers were forced to flee from their homes as floodwaters rose up to 3.5 meters (11ft) in places. Up to 70, 000 people are reported to have been affected in the Oro and Milne Bay provinces.
Over 85 percent of Papua New Guinea’s population depend on subsistent farming. With so much damage to farmland across the flooded eastern provinces, many thousands now face serious food shortages.
Although the worst of the heavy rain is over, some outbreaks of rain will continue across Papua New Guinea over the coming days.
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