Following the formation of the Provincial Disaster Committee yesterday and the declaration of a State of Emergency (SOE) in the West New Britain province, SOE controller and Provincial Administrator Wilfred Augustine has advised PNG HAUSBUNG that the emergency teams have already been set up and have initiated their Initial Damage Assessment for the surrounding area. Augustine stated that it is not yet determined the amount of destruction caused by the eruption of Mt. Ulawun but has assured that they are doing their very best to work towards ascertaining that information. He said a Forward Operating Base has been established on the Ground and teams are already out on the field assessing the situation. “We are set up around the area and will be conducting operations into the affected places.” Meanwhile, the internally displaced persons from the affected communities surrounding Mt. Ulawun can now breathe a sigh of relief following word from Augustine that relief supplies will be available by this afternoon for distribution. It is not yet confirmed the number of displaced person, with some estimates making it out to be around 5,000 people. Augustine said they are now trying to establish how many people they currently have in 8 care centres set up within the Nakanai district and by tomorrow would have a confirmed number of the population that have fled due to the eruption. He said 8 villages have been displaced. “At this point, I want to call on the people to remain patient as we try to get everyone organized for relief supplies to get here, and I assure everyone that we are doing all we can to make sure our people are ok.” He adds that in regard to the full extent of the ash-fall experienced in the district, this is beyond that of the 2019 eruption. In the meantime, volcanic activity around the Mt. Ulawun has subsided but authorities have maintained that they are still monitoring the activity.