Villagers to brave future eruptions

VILLAGERS of Dugulava on Manam Island, in Madang, affected by the volcanic eruption in April have returned home and say there will be no more evacuations for them if there are any future eruptions.
Councillor Paul Maburau said the villagers had agreed not to leave the village because it was hard to feed themselves when away from home.
Maburau said food supplied to them in the care centres was not enough to last a week.
He said the Salvation with Faith and Love organisation donated fuel so that they could travel to the island to get food from their gardens which was a very expensive exercise.
Maburau said the three-monthly ration of rice, oil and flour they received from the Government lasted only a week.
So they had to look for food in the remaining 11 weeks.
Villager Lucy Jawa said they returned to their village on the island as the dry season began and made new gardens.