Asia and the Pacific: Weekly Regional Humanitarian Snapshot (20 - 26 February 2018)

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

A 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck on 26 February (25 February UTC), with its epicentre in Nipa-Kutubu district, Southern Highlands province.
The affected area is sparsely populated, with a dispersed population living in remote, rural communities. There are no major urban areas in the immediate vicinity although there is a gas pipeline in the area. There were some minor landslides following the earthquake, but as of 26 February no damage to infrastructure or homes has been reported. The National Disaster Centre is assessing the situation.

INDONESIA

The threat of forest and land fires continues to increase with the start of the dry season. Four provinces have put emergency alerts in place; South Sumatra, Riau, West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan. As of 21 February, 90 medium and high hotspots have been recorded in these four provinces, with additional hotspots identified in two other provinces, Java and Sulawesi, on 26 February.

On 22 February, landslides in Brebes District and Purbalingga District, Central Java Province killed 11 people and injured a further 11, with 13 people still missing. On 23 February, flooding in seven sub-districts in Bandung District affected 30,000 people, inundating almost 10,000 houses. Over the last week, floods and landslides were also reported in Bogor District, Pangandaran District, Kuningan District and Bandung city in West Java Province, and Wonogiri District and Cilacap District in Central Java. The Government of Indonesia is providing support.

30,000 people affected

TONGA

As of 23 February, 205 families are still in evacuation centers as a result of Tropical Cyclone Gita.
The number of evacuation centres has decreased from 96 at the height of the disaster to 46, with 41 in Tongatapu and five in Eua. Humanitarian partners continue to support the Government-led response through the National Emergency Management Office (NEMO), line Ministries and national clusters.
Following TC Gita, more than 1,900 houses and 85 schools have been damaged. There has also been a significant impact on agriculture, with 80 per cent of fruit trees and 50 per cent of root crops damaged.

1,900 houses damaged

PHILIPPINES

As of 26 February, the number of people affected by the eruption of Mount Mayon has risen to over 90,000. A level 4 alert remains in effect over the volcano. On 26 February, 36 separate lava eruptions lasting up to 19 minutes occurred. 62,000 people have been evacuated from their homes due to the volcano and are staying in 57 evacuation centres. To date, approximately USD$8.6m has been provided in assistance. The social welfare and development office has distributed 3,000 food packs and tents for temporary shelter.

90,000 people affected