Putting preparedness into action - Papua New Guinea

Above: A home destroyed by a king tide, Tinputz District, Autonomous region of Bougainville. Image: Naomi Baskia, CARE PNG.

For many low-lying coastal communities across the Pacific, king tides bring the threat of floods, impacting lives, homes and livelihoods. On January 3, 2020 a king tide swept into the coastal villages of  Iris Ward in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.

At first, many villagers were slow to respond and reluctant to leave their homes. High tides are not uncommon, and villagers assumed that this would be similar to other times when the tide rose but not enough to cause any damage.  One man in Deos Village, who was also a member of the Deos Community Disaster Committee, recognised that this tide was different – and dangerous. He began calling for everyone in the village to act quickly. Eventually they did and, with the tide flooding eight houses and sweeping one away, it was fortunate that the disaster committee member alerted others to the danger.

Training translates into response

Above: Ward Member Community Disaster Management Training, Tinputz District, Autonomous Region of Bougainville. Image: Terry Sumbinagi, CARE PNG.

Disaster READY helps local communities prepare for both rapid and slow onset disasters so they are better able to manage them if they occur. It focuses on strengthening community based disaster risk management and Disaster READY partners support communities through training, establishing disaster committees and developing community disaster plans. 

AHP partner CARE PNG is supporting communities in Tinputz District in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, where Deos Village is located. The community disaster management training delivered by CARE PNG was endorsed by Papua New Guinea’s National Disaster Centre and covers how to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters.  

In the module addressing preparation, communities identify local risks as well as how to mitigate their impacts. They outline the steps to follow in the event of an emergency, develop a disaster response plan and select a Disaster Committee.

When training translates into action

The action of the Deos Community Disaster Committee member as the king tide rose combined with the preparedness work undertaken through Disaster READY, meant the villagers safely evacuated before the tide peaked. 

The villager reported that previously he would have assumed it was a normal high tide and, like the other villagers, hesitated to act. However, since attending the Disaster READY trainings and participating in the Disaster Committee, he was much more attentive to sea movements that appeared different.

With an evacuation route identified as part of the Deos community’s disaster plan, villagers were able to move to higher ground. The Deos Community Disaster Committee members then contacted local authorities and the Bougainville Disaster Office who assessed the situation. Soon after, relief items arrived with the PNG Red Cross, and the Community Disaster Committee took the lead in their distribution.

However, the Deos community had developed no plan to assist any villagers directly affected by the king tide.  This is an issue that the Community Disaster Committee must address as part of the recovery stage of disaster management. 

Lessons

While the response to the king tide in Deos was successful, it uncovered areas for improvement in the community’s disaster preparedness and response plan. These include the importance of disaster simulations, refresher trainings on the disaster plan and ensuring disaster preparedness information is shared with schools.

The actions of the Deos Community Disaster Committee and the Ward Steering Committee reflect positively on the improved coordination that can occur with the proper community-based disaster management structures in place.