Tidal surge brings flooding to Papua New Guinea by Matt Taylor
Papua New Guinea’s northern provinces and parts of the north coast were swamped by huge waves on Tuesday afternoon.
Hundreds of homes and businesses were submerged and more than 1500 people were evacuated to higher ground. The worst affected areas were the St Mathias Group of islands, including the island of Mussau, in the north of the country, and also New Ireland, in the northeast.
The tidal surge was not just felt in PNG. The Marshall Islands in particular were also badly hit, with a high tide of over four feet (1.2 meters) combined with high waves.
It was this combination of a high tide, and high waves generated from a low-pressure system some 500 miles to the north, that caused the coastal flooding in the region. Although significantly higher tides are forecast later this week, flooding is not expected to be a problem, as the low pressure system has now moved off to the west.
The low-lying islands and atolls of the western Pacific are particularly vulnerable to small changes in weather patterns that can have a big effect on coastal flooding. This recent flooding has prompted further concern over the future impact of a possible rise in sea level.
