Secretariat of the Japan
Disaster Relief Team
The following is a report on emergency relief (dispatch of a JDR Medical Team) to the Republic of El Salvador as authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on January 15, 2001 (Mon) after consultations with the Ministry of Finance.
1. Emergency Situation
At 11:33 a.m. on January 13 (2:33 a.m. on January 14 in Japan) a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 struck southern El Salvador. The quake was centered in the Pacific Ocean approximately 100 kilometers southwest of San Miguel. The Head of the National Emergency Response Committee in El Salvador has released the following casualty figures (as of 5:00 a.m. on January 14) in connection with the disaster: 193 dead, 1,336 injured, and more than 1,400 missing.
2. Request for Aid for the Government of El Salvador
On January 14 (local time) the Salvadoran government made a request to the Japanese government for the dispatch of a medical team.
3. Response of JICA
After receiving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' decision to send a JDR Medical Team to El Salvador, JICA has taken steps to dispatch the Team based on the following outline:
(1) Team objectives:
To provide medical treatment and care for persons affected by the earthquake.
(2) Term of dispatch:
January 15 (Mon) to January 28 (Sun), 2001. The Team is scheduled to depart
from Narita International Airport at 6:15 p.m. on January 15 aboard flight
SQ012.
(3) Team composition:
1 representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2 doctors, 2 nurses, and 2 coordinators (total: 7).
(4) A second group is scheduled to depart on January 16. This group will consist of 1 representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 1 doctor, 4 nurses, and 3 medical coordinators and 2 coordinators (total: 11).
4. Response of the International Community
(1) United States: Implementation of rescue operations using five helicopters
(2) Mexico: Dispatch of an emergency rescue team
(3) Guatemala: Dispatch of a fire brigade; provision of food aid
(4) Malta: Provision of one truckload of food and medical supplies
(5) Spain: Dispatch of firefighters and search dogs
(6) Honduras: Dispatch of a truck team
(7) Taiwan: Gift of $200,000