Papua New Guinea disaster management reference handbook 2022

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is the largest Pacific Island country in Oceania. The country of 9.3 million people (2022 est.) is made up of the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, alongside four additional islands, and over 600 islets and atolls. PNG is located in the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire,” a region where many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur. PNG faces natural hazards including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, cyclones, flooding, landslides, and droughts.

PNG is disaster-prone due to its geophysical conditions and limited coping capacity. PNG is ranked as a high-risk country for natural disasters according to the INFORM Risk Index due to a moderate exposure to natural hazards and a pronounced lack of coping capacity (the INFORM Risk Index methodology is discussed further below). PNG is located in the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire,” a region where many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur. The country experiences an annual average of two to three disasters that require the activation of the national emergency response system alongside numerous smaller events that require local responses.