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In Brief
This Bulletin is being issued for information only, and reflects the situation and the information available at this time. The Federation is not seeking funding or other assistance from donors for this operation at this time.
The Situation
Several earthquakes measuring 6.7 to 8.4 on Richter scale struck the west coast of Indonesia's Sumatera Island near Bengkulu on Wednesday, 12 September 2007 as recorded by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Up to 40 aftershocks measuring 4.5 to 6.9 on the Richter scale have been reported by Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (Badan Meteorologi dan Geofisika/BMG) with tremors felt in remote areas.
The government disaster coordination units (Satuan Koordinasi Pelaksana Penanganan Bencana/Satkorlak) in Bengkulu and West Sumatera reported on Wednesday, 19 September that 27,834 houses and 19,506 houses have been damaged in Bengkulu and West Sumatera respectively. About 28 per cent (7,905 houses) of the 27,834 houses in Bengkulu are considered severely damaged or totally collapsed, while the number of casualties still remains relatively low at 15 people in Bengkulu and ten in West Sumatera.
Despite the substantial damage to public facilities, it has been reported that the community's activities in general are not significantly affected. Road conditions to and from Bengkulu are relatively passable. Public facilities such as hospitals, schools and religious establishments are still functional although damaged. The PMI (Palang Merah Indonesia/Indonesian Red Cross) assessment has reported that the community still has reasonable access to water and sanitation as the infrastructure is intact and functional. The power supply network has mostly been restored except for the Muko-muko district. Nevertheless, due to trauma caused by the earthquake, PMI reported that parents are preventing their children from going back to school, especially in Bengkulu Utara which is one of the most affected areas.
As reported in the previous Information Bulletin, the Indonesian Government is providing IDR 15 million (equivalent to CHF 1,908 or USD 1,603 or EUR 1,156) to each family whose houses have been most severely damaged. In addition to that, the government has distributed relief items such as tents and tarpaulins as well as clothing and blankets to the affected communities. Through Satkorlak, the government has also distributed food items including instant noodles, canned food, and drinking water. The Bengkulu branch of PT Excelcomindo, a private telecommunications company has provided the affected communities with telephony facilities.
The ministry of health in cooperation with the disaster preparedness brigade is providing health services in some sub-districts such as Lais, Arga Makmur and the Muko-Muko district.
For further information specifically related to this operation please contact:
Indonesian Red Cross (PMI): Arifin M. Hadi (Acting Head of Disaster Management Division); arifinmhd@telkom.net; mobile: +62.811.943.952; phone: +62.21.7992325 ext. 222.; fax: +62.21.7995188
Federation Delegation in Indonesia: Bob McKerrow (Head of Delegation); email:bob.mckerrow@ifrc.org; phone: +62.21.7919.1841 (ext. 104); fax:+62.21.7918.0905;
Federation Secretariat in Geneva (Asia Pacific Department): Josse Gillijns (regional officer); email: josse.gillijns@ifrc.org; phone: +41.22.730.4224; fax: +41.22.7330395 or Priya Nair; email: priya.nair@ifrc.org; phone: +41.22.730.4296
Asia Pacific Zone in Kuala Lumpur: Ms Amy Gaver, email: amy.gaver@ifrc.org phone: + 60 3 2161 0892, fax: +60 3 2161 1210, mobile +60 12 220 1174