In Numbers
544,000 people affected
270,000 people in need of humanitarian assistance
38,000 people worst-affected by the earthquake and in need of food assistance
Highlights
• From 13 April-20 May, WFP distributed 166 mt of food— including rice, high-energy biscuits and governmentprovided canned fish—to 21,770 people (11,320 males and 10,450 females) in Hela, Southern Highlands, and Western provinces.
• The logistics of the operation are challenging. Almost all remaining villages and care centres that are targeted for food distribution are accessible only by airlift.
Situation Update
• A 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the Highlands region on 26 February, which destroyed or damaged homes, roads, and food gardens in the affected areas.
• WFP’s remote mobile assessment in December showed that 37 percent of the population in affected areas were already severely food-insecure before the earthquake.
• The Government declared a state of emergency in earthquake-affected areas in Hela, Southern Highlands,
Western and Enga provinces, and announced PGK 450 million (~USD 142 million) for relief and service restoration operations over the next three years.
• In April, the Papua New Guinea Food Security & Livelihoods Monitoring System reported that households in 9 of 31 Local Level Government areas (LLGs) included in the assessment experienced high or extreme food shortages, with the destruction of food gardens in these areas removing the main livelihood and food supply source for the majority of people. The full report can be accessed at https://tinyurl.com/y7a4vgzd.
• Humanitarian access to Tari, an area close to the epicentre of the earthquake, is restricted due to security concerns. There have been some reports that while the earthquake and aftershocks impacted infrastructure and shelter in this area, the food security situation has not been as affected.