Port Moresby Governor Parkop calls on residents to brace for Wet season

PORT MORESBY: National Capital District Governor, Honourable Powes Parkop is urging residents to brace for wet season in the city during the remaining weeks of this month until May when it transits to dry period.

His call is reinforcing bad weather warning issued by the National Weather Service which forecasted that they should be wary of wet season accompanied by storms around this time of the year.

He said the wild weather recently had caused havoc along the roads, with flash waters which were overflowed onto the roads making difficult for vehicles to be on the road.

Mr Parkop also called on the people and corporate citizens to take responsibility and ownership over the drainages and waterways near their homes and properties by clearing off blockages, so that flash floods can be absorbed adequately by the drainages as initially designed.

He warned residents to move away from power lines and poles, drainage reserves and trees during the wet season.

"In 5 years’ time we should brace for possibility of cyclone hitting the city for the first time based on cyclone pattern.

"Over last 20 years the cyclone that has been hitting Australia is moving North all the time with the latest this year hitting Cape York Peninsula."

"If it continues this Northward trend, we can see one in five years’ time. We must, therefore, prepare for the extreme weather which we has been spared in our entire history. We must not only build all infrastructure to be resilient, but also major drainages that can clear water run off efficiently, so we avoid major floods in the future," said Mr Parkop.

He added that they should also have alternate sources of electricity and firewood kitchens, as electricity blackouts are imminent during the wet season.

Governor Parkop extended his warning to parents and guardians to place close-eye and care over their children during the season.

Mr Parkop commended the volunteers under the Active City Development Program for making sure streets, roads, Ela Beach sea fronts, Boroko and other parts of the city clean, safe and healthy despite the heaps of debris created by the wet season.

He wants such an effort multiplied for the betterment and cleanliness of the city.

Meanwhile, he is conveying the commission and his condolences to the parents and relatives of the two who were washed away recently to death by flash floods.