THE Salvation Army has offered immediate emergency assistance this week to volcano victims on the island of New Britain, off Papua New Guinea. Under the leadership of Major Lorraine Mack, Salvationists from the nearby corps centre in Kimbe offered food and shelter as people fled the volcanic ash. Evacuees have taken shelter in the Salvation Army church building and meals of rice, tinned fish and greens are being provided to up to 500 hungry people. In addition to providing hot food, emergency funds have been released by the International Emergency Services Office to purchase fuel, food supplies,water containers, mosquito nets, cooking and eating utensils.
The Reuters news service reports, 'The Mount Pago volcano, about 30 miles south of the town of Kimbe, began erupting on Monday, spewing ash up to four miles into the air and forcing thousands of villagers to be evacuated. The eruption has left many villages at the foot of Mount Pago under ash and has closed the nearby airport, disrupting regional air traffic.'
In addition to the problems of air travel, Salvation Army leaders in Papua New Guinea say that harsh weather conditions are making it extremely difficult to reach the island by boat. Kimbe, the nearest large town to the volcano, has been unaffected and up to 8,000 people have been evacuated from villages to care centres around the town. Captain Michael Dengi, the Salvation Army officer in charge of the work in Kimbe, reports by telephone that the people are in good spirits despite the hardship.
International Emergency Services Field Operations
