In just a few hours on Oct. 22, 2024, the isolated Parama Island in western Papua New Guinea was flooded with “king tide” ocean waves, wrecking homes, destroying plots of land and leveling buildings.
Shortly after damage assessment, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints shipped food, water, tarps and water filters to a waiting barge in Daru, the provincial capital of the south-coast Western Province. The items were then shipped to the remote island of Parama, 17 kilometers (10.6 miles) east of Daru, the Church’s Pacific Newsroom reported.
Of the 400 people that live on Parama Island, nearly one-third are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, residing in the Parama Branch of the Daru Stake.
Church humanitarian missionaries, together with local Church missionaries and leaders, traveled up the Gulf of Papua to the Fly River, then inland to reach Parama Island and deliver relief supplies. They arrived in the late morning on Oct. 29.
Upon arrival, volunteers found the island in ruins from water damage. However, the local members were in high spirits — confident and resilient — and ready to start rebuilding.
When relief supplies arrived in Parama Island on the morning of Oct. 29, the ocean tides were far too low for the boat to make deliveries, so supplies were transferred to smaller dinghies that could move closer to the shore.
The boats could move in only 1 kilometer from the shore due to the dangerously low tide. So local missionaries and members spent three hours that afternoon walking to and from the boats, carrying water, water filters and other supplies on their heads.
“After the devastation of the king tides, the resilience and faith of the people of the Parama Island shine through as they joyfully receive temporary relief to aid them through this challenging time in their lives,” said Johnny Leota, the country office manager in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. “Their gratitude and love of the Savior has increased as they witness His love through emergency efforts from the Church.
“Continued relief efforts will include finding solutions with local leaders of the community to safeguard against future disasters.”
