Papua New Guinea — Hela, Southern Highlands and Western Provinces Internal Displacement Report (20 April 2018)

Following a 7.5 magnitude earthquake which hit the Highlands Region of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and affected an estimated 544,000 people in five provinces1, assessment teams visited 38 displacement sites2 in the Hela, Southern Highlands and Western Provinces of PNG between 10 – 27 March 2018. Data was collected from key informants including councilors, village leaders, church leaders, teachers and healthcare workers. The assessments showed that the most urgent needs of the displaced populations were water and shelter first and foremost, as well as kitchen utensils and food. Displacement sites such as Lau, Timu and Levani located in Hela Province are extremely isolated and were identified to be in urgent need of food rations following the destruction of food gardens and the limited food supply available. Many of the affected populations also suffer from continued trauma as aftershocks of the earthquake continue to hit the region.