Provincial Disaster Committee chairpersons and coordinators will present their respective El Niño Drought Assessment Reports to the Minister for Health and National Disaster Services, Hon. Dr Billy M. Joseph, MP, at a meeting in Port Moresby on Friday.
The meeting, scheduled for August 28 at the Sheraton Hotel, will bring together provincial disaster officials to assess the severity of the El Niño situation across the country and determine the level of support required from the National Government.
Minister Joseph said the provincial reports would be assessed against the National Emergency Operation Centre’s (NEOC) Standard Operating Procedures to establish the severity of the disaster in each province and guide government assistance through the National Disaster Centre.
He said the National Disaster Centre had already rolled out assessment tools and provided training to provincial disaster officials to standardise the reporting process.
The NDC is also coordinating with national and provincial partners to support a whole-of-government approach and accelerate a multisectoral inter-agency assessment of the El Niño impacts.
The presentation of the provincial El Niño severity reports will also precede the submission of the Provincial Disaster Institutional Capacity Assessment Reports.
The institutional capacity assessment is a joint initiative of the National Disaster Centre and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), with funding support from the United States and Australian governments.
Minister Joseph commended IOM for its partnership with the National Disaster Centre and its contribution towards the successful completion of the Provincial Disaster Institutional Capacity Assessment.
The assessments are expected to provide the National Government with a clearer picture of provincial disaster preparedness, institutional capacity and the level of support required as PNG responds to the impacts of El Niño