Indonesia: Earthquake - Mar 2007

This appeal seeks CHF 7,358,414 (USD 6.58 million or EUR 4.46 million) to fund the planned programmes that are to be implemented in 2008-2009.

General Situation

In the last couple days, aid agencies are starting to come to Bengkulu and West Sumatra. Most of the aid agency is delivering aid to Muko Muko Utara and Lubuk Pinang sub district. But still, many of the quake-affected people are still not receiving aid due to the remoteness of their villages, making access to their area difficult. Aid high jacking cases are again reported in the areas, showing poor distribution and the management of the aid given to the survivors.

A 7.9 Richter scale earthquake struck West Sumatra with the epicenter located 150 kilometers south west Bengkulu, Wednesday, 12 September 2007 at 6.10 PM local time. This earthquake also raised an alert of tsunami waves in the Sumatra west coast, but after two hours the alert was lifted by the Indonesia government officials. Hundreds of aftershocks occurred and 12 of them are felt throughout the night in Sumatra; the officials predicted that the aftershocks will still be felt until the next 51 days.

Padang, Indonesia - Muslim Aid together with IOM (International Organization for Migration) and The University of Andalas have been giving trainings on how to build earthquake resistant houses for the earthquake affected residents of West Sumatra.

The partnership aims to help the local government who has promised to provide reconstruction costs for the victims of the quake.

Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

Hundreds of families left homeless by the powerful earthquake that devastated Yogyakarta almost a year ago are still living under makeshift tents.

Executive secretary of the national technical team for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of post-earthquake Yogyakarta and Central Java, Danang Parikesit, said of the 300,000 families left homeless by the May 27 quake last year, some 3,000 are still living in tents.

Qatar Charity carried out a set of humanitarian projects via its office in Indonesia last year. Such projects came within the framework of fighting poverty and relieving distress among the Muslim Indonesian society, which experienced a series of natural catastrophes such as Tsunami and Jojakarta severe quakes.

Qatar Charity carried those projects in association with International Organizations and Humanitarian Societies in Indonesia. As done in 2005 concerning the rebuilding of Aceh Province, the Charity coordinated with other partners in the area in order to achieve its goals.

Opinion

"ESTABLISHING GLOBAL OPERATIONAL STANDARDS FOR INTERNATIONAL URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE FROM COLLAPSED STRUCTURES"

Arjun Katoch

International disaster managers responding to earthquakes bemoan the multiplicity and wide range of professional capability, amongst responders professing to be USAR teams. In Bam, Iran during the 2003 earthquake approximately 1300 responders from 34 countries had arrived by day three. Normally the Government of the affected country has limited knowledge of the operational capabilities of teams that arrive.

IOM is to build 150 permanent houses in earthquake affected communities in Yogyakarta as part of an Australian-funded programme that will at the same time train people in safe building methods and earthquake preparedness.

IOM's Mobile Shelter Assistance (MSA) programme, agreed with RHK Project Management on behalf of the Australia Agency of International Development (AusAID), will use the houses as hands on construction training centres targeting an estimated 10,000 people in 20 villages over a 6-week period.

Taiwan Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation (Tzu Chi), together with members from its subsidiary Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA), has provided free medical care for the poor of Batam Island, Indonesia. Volunteers of Malaysia and Singapore have regularly provided free medical services in remote areas of Indonesia since 2000. They refer severe cases to Malaysia or Singapore for further treatment, often covering their full expenses.

On Tuesday, 6th March 2007, the 6.3 magnitude quake struck close to the city of Padang in the west of the Sumatra Island, followed by several aftershocks, killing at least 70 people, flattening buildings and made thousands of persons homeless. After the quake, Tzu Chi volunteers in nearby Padang, assessed the needs of the Padang region, and immediately mobilized an aid mission. Despite being very close to the epicenter, they managed to bring some order to a chaotic situation.

Mercy-USA for Aid and Development (M-USA) is collecting funds to aid the survivors of the deadly earthquakes that struck Indonesia's island of Sumatra on March 6, 2007. The magnitude-6.4 and 6.3 quakes, which struck around 11 a.m. local time near the city of Padang on western Sumatra, have left over 135,000 persons homeless.

"This time, it was not only very strong but also lasted a long time," said 75-year-old Nurbari, a grandmother sitting under a large plastic sheet strung between trees in front of her house.

Mbah Rejo Dimulyo had lost his wife and his home in one fell swoop.

The 78-year old resident of Yogyakarta was left distraught after the earthquake that hit this Indonesian city on 27th of May 2006, leaving around 1.5 million people homeless.

It was just like any other Saturday morning in Dusun Karet, Desa Pleret, south of Yogyakarta when Dimulyo's wife, Mbah Paijah was walking to the back of her house to collect some woods for her stove.

Ref: OCHA - 2007/0034

OCHA Situation Report 7
Indonesia - Earthquakes

Mercy-USA for Aid and Development (M-USA) is collecting funds to aid the survivors of the deadly earthquakes that struck Indonesia's island of Sumatra on Tuesday, March 6. The magnitude-6.4 and 6.3 quakes, which struck around 11 a.m.

Nine-year-old Afi Hasel Muhammad and his five-year-old sister Fani Fiona Oklaviani gaze at the ground as they walk to school. It's the day after two earthquakes rocked their home province of West Sumatra and they are looking for the books they dropped in their dash for safety.

They find nothing but a pile of debris and trash littered all over the school grounds.

Ref: OCHA - 2007/0032

OCHA Situation Report No. 6
Indonesia - Earthquakes
West Sumatera Province

A la suite du séisme qui a touché le 6 mars l'île indonésienne de Sumatra, Action contre la Faim et Médecins du Monde interviennent en partenariat sur les zones sinistrées.

Déjà présentes sur le terrain où elles menaient des programmes complémentaires, les équipes des deux associations ont pu réagir dès le 6 mars et déployer très rapidement un dispositif d'urgence pour venir en aide aux sinistrés.

Aujourd'hui, MdM et ACF interviennent sur 10 villages des sous-districts de Sepuluh koto et de Bati Puh qui comptent près de 35 000 personnes, des zones rurales assez …

INDONESIA - IOM Ramps Up Distribution, Assesses Shelter Needs in West Sumatra Quake Zone - IOM will today start to distribute 2,500 non-food relief kits comprising blankets, rubberized mats and tarpaulins in Koto Singkarak district.

The distribution, in partnership with three local NGOs - Yayasan Tanggul Bencana Indonesia (YTBI), Muslim Aid, and Bina Masyarakat Peduli - will initially target five villages where 590 families have been assessed as "at high risk" and another 488 as "vulnerable."

The distribution follows a rapid expansion of IOM's transport …