Villagers rescued from flooded areas in Puerto Princesa City

Palawan, Dec 20 (PNA)

The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) reported that a total of 62 families or 244 individuals were rescued from their homes from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning after continuous rains caused floods reaching as high as six meters deep in some villages.

The non-stop rains were brought about by a low-pressure area located 185 kilometers south of the city.

CDRRMO Officer Earl Timbancaya on Wednesday told reporters that the majority of evacuees came from Barangay Luzviminda’s Purok Katiwasayan, where floodwaters rose to a depth of five to six meters.

He also said many motorists were stranded as rising flood waters turned the national highway along Sitios

Tagbarungis and Tacduan into a virtual lake.

Timbancaya also reported that a power outage from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday affected Under Banga Sectionalizing Sta. Lourdes, Sicsican, Don Eduardo Village, and Removille, among other areas.

The municipal official disclosed that the CDRRMO recorded several mishaps during the stormy night.

“An electrocution incident occurred in Barangay Milagrosa, but there is still no updated information available on the affected individual’s identity or condition,” he said in Filipino.

Despite the heavy downpour in the city, operations of air and sea transportation continued Tuesday, except for Cebu

Pacific Flight 5J 639, which had to be diverted.

As of this posting, many of the evacuees at the “mini city hall” or satellite city hall in Barangay Luzviminda have returned to their homes as the floodwaters receded.

Authorities continue to monitor the situation and advise residents to follow safety guidelines and stay updated on local weather forecasts, Timbancaya said. (PNA)

Witness to War: A National Telephone hotline to support Affected Australian Comunities

Brisbane, December 21 (MCCQ Newsdesk, QPASTT Press Release)

As part of its response to the impact of humanitarian crises and conflicts occurring across the globe, including in Israel/Gaza, Afghanistan and Ukraine, the Forum of Australian Services for Survivors of Torture and Trauma (FASSTT) has launched Witness to War, a national multilingual telephone hotline to support affected Australian communities.

FASSTT’s combined experience, supported by research, shows that global conflicts and crises impact communities in Australia in different ways. Individuals and families directly exposed to or affected by overseas conflicts can experience stress and anxiety, become extremely fearful and present with a range of other health and social needs.

Drawing on the trauma-recovery expertise of the national FASSTT network and staffed by bicultural support workers and mental health practitioners speaking Arabic, Hebrew, Dari, Ukrainian and English, Witness to War provides independent, confidential and trauma-informed support and information and assistance for individuals and families to connect to a range of local services. Witness to War staff can support other language speakers using interpreters.

Based on a pilot program established in NSW to support communities through the impact of the Afghan Crisis and war in Ukraine, the national roll-out of Witness to War has been funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing (DHA).

“The implementation of this program at this point is crucial,” said Jorge Aroche, CEO of STARTTS (the FASSTT member agency in NSW).

“Our experience delivering Witness to War in NSW has shown that providing the space to allow people to talk about the impact of situations overseas, and connecting them with appropriate sources of help, can make a huge difference in terms of how well people are able to cope as individuals, families and communities. We have also learnt that the sooner we can do this, the better it works.” Jamila Padhee, National FASSTT Coordinator said “We have been able to coordinate a swift national response to support Australians affected by global humanitarian crises, based on a model that has already proved successful in NSW. The hotline forms part of a joint FASSTT strategy to support individuals and communities affected by the current crises, and that will be implemented in various ways to fit local requirements across Australia.”

Operating from MondayFriday between 10am-4pm AEDT (core times nationally),

Witness to War is open to all people affected by overseas conflict and can be accessed by calling 1800 845 198. Local operating times are as follows for each state and territory: Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, Australian Capital Territory: 10am to 7pm

South Australia: 9:30am to 6:30pm

Queensland: 9am to 6pm

Northern Territory: 8:30am to 5:30pm

Western Australia: 7am to 4pm

For more information about Witness to War including in-language flyers in Hebrew, Arabic, Dari, and Ukrainian, visit https://www.fasstt.org.au/