The 1997 El Niño event severely affected the western part of the island of New Guinea. A group of highlands villages at Holuwon experienced drought, forest fires and disruption to food production. This article describes the reaction of the villagers to these natural disasters and to the humanitarian aid that they received. The social order was the first to be affected. Severe competition developedfor the allotments of humanitarian aid and yet sharing of land and other help were offered to neighbouring ethnic groups. Reactions were also observed at the level of religion and were manifested in the Yalis' search for an explanation of the events. Lastly, there was preservation and reconstruction in the form of the fighting of forest fires and the re-creation of gardens following the drought.