Indonesia - Earthquake Fact Sheet #15, Fiscal Year (FY) 2006

U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BUREAU FOR DEMOCRACY, CONFLICT, AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE (DCHA)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)
NOTE: The last fact sheet was dated June 16, 2006.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

At the June 19 U.N. shelter cluster meeting, cluster lead the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) expressed serious concern about the gap in shelter assistance. According to IFRC, the scale of this disaster is far greater than initially reported, with an estimated 1.1 to 1.5 million people with severely damaged or destroyed homes. The widespread lack of earthquake-resistant housing designs, construction techniques, and building materials, as well as the high population density of the affected areas, contributed to the severe impact of the earthquake on the housing sector.

On June 16, the Government of Indonesia (GOI) Ministry of Health (MOH) reported that the total number of tetanus cases has risen to 60, with 21 fatalities. Despite the rise in reported cases, the USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (USAID/DART) notes that the tetanus epidemic has likely peaked, but that increased outreach will better identify existing ongoing tetanus cases. USAID/OFDA supports the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO) and MOH mobile health teams in active case identification and provision of treatment and referrals for rehabilitation.

Total USAID/OFDA Humanitarian Assistance Provided for the Indonesia Earthquake: $4,791,598

Total USAID/OFDA Humanitarian Assistance Pledged for the Indonesia Earthquake: $5,000,000

CURRENT SITUATION

USAID/DART

As of June 21, three USAID/DART members remain in Yogyakarta, assessing humanitarian needs, programming emergency assistance, and coordinating the U.S. Government (USG) response to the emergency. The USAID/DART, including a volcanologist, will remain through the end of June to monitor USAID/OFDA programs and prepare for the possible eruption of Mt. Merapi. Beginning in July, USAID/OFDA will monitor programs and events at Mt. Merapi from the USAID/OFDA Regional Office in Bangkok, Thailand.

At its peak, the USAID/DART comprised nine members, including specialists in the health, shelter, and water and sanitation sectors. The USAID/DART has worked closely with USAID/Indonesia and the Department of Defense (DOD) 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force.

Shelter

Ongoing discrepancies in the official GOI housing damage estimates continue to pose challenges to accurately identifying shelter needs and gaps. On June 16, BAKORNAS reported that the earthquake damaged or destroyed 578,048 homes. However, the GOI National Development Planning Board (BAPPENAS) and the World Bank reported 358,963 homes damaged or destroyed on June 14. To address these discrepancies, IFRC is planning a shelter vulnerability and needs assessment the week of June 19, with initial results expected by June 30.

According to BAPPENAS, the earthquake damaged or destroyed a total of 358,694 houses. Of this figure, 353,258 houses, or 98.5 percent of the total, were located in the six most affected districts of Bantul, Klaten, Gunung Kidul, Sleman, Yogyakarta City, and Kulonprogo. The impact of the earthquake in those districts was significant, with 36 percent of all housing units either damaged or destroyed. By contrast, a total of 278,978 houses-34 percent of all housing units-were damaged or destroyed in Aceh Province following the December 2004 tsunami. As a result, the damage to the housing sector, both in absolute and relative terms, is greater in the May 27 earthquake than the December 29, 2004 earthquake and tsunami.

Water and Sanitation

Through an umbrella grant to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), USAID/OFDA implementing partner Dian Desa, a local non-governmental organization (NGO), is working to meet basic water supply needs, enhance public health protection, and prevent diarrheal diseases. Key activities include latrine construction, distribution and promotion of household water treatment and safe storage supplies, repair and rehabilitation of household wells, and water trucking to communities whose water sources have been destroyed.

USAID/OFDA partner CHF International plans to restore the household and community water and sanitation facilities for a targeted 2,500 households in the affected areas.

Health

WHO and the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF), in partnership with the GOI Provincial Health Office, are conducting an emergency vaccination campaign. On June 20, WHO reported more than 80 percent emergency measles immunization coverage in earthquake-affected areas. The GOI, WHO, and UNICEF are resuming activities for the expanded program on immunization (EPI) following a disruption in operations due to the earthquake.

WHO reports that more than 50 percent of the 415,000 adults targeted for emergency tetanus immunization have been reached. WHO is now emphasizing adequate hospital medical treatment and supplies for post-exposure tetanus cases.

Public Outreach

The USAID/DART has designed and launched a public outreach campaign that will disseminate key messages needed in the immediate-term as affected populations move forward. Public outreach messages will leverage the impact of USAID/OFDA emergency activities in the areas of shelter, health, and water and sanitation. As such, the messages will impart key information on rebuilding shelters and houses, follow-up and preventive care for wounds and infections, and water and sanitation issues.

Merapi

As of June 21, a high level of volcanic activity persists at Mt. Merapi, with continued incandescent rockfalls and pyroclastic flows. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) volcanologist on the USAID/DART anticipates additional and possibly larger flows of volcanic material. The USGS volcanologist continues to provide technical assistance to the Indonesian Volcano Technology Development and Research Agency (BPPTK) in monitoring Mt. Merapi.

USG HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE

USAID Assistance

On May 27, U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia B. Lynn Pascoe declared a disaster due to the impact of the earthquake. USAID/OFDA pledged $5 million for earthquake response activities. To date, emergency assistance provided by USAID totals nearly $4.8 million, including airlifts and distribution of relief commodities, support for humanitarian coordination efforts, the dissemination of humanitarian information, and emergency health, shelter, and water and sanitation activities.

Through three airlifts, USAID/OFDA provided 8 emergency medical kits (each serving the medical needs of 10,000 people for 3 months), 150 rolls of plastic sheeting, 10,200 ten-liter water containers, and 5,004 hygiene kits. The value of these relief supplies, including transport, is $361,682.

USAID/OFDA provided $100,000 through IFRC to support the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) relief operations to meet the immediate needs of those affected by the earthquake. In addition, USAID/OFDA provided $1 million to support relief activities through the IFRC Emergency Appeal.

USAID/OFDA funded multiple grants for emergency health care. The International Medical Corps (IMC) received $130,000 through an existing agreement for the deployment of a 65-person emergency medical team from Indonesian NGO Ambulan 118. IMC received an additional $300,000 for emergency health activities. USAID/OFDA provided $50,000 to IOM for mobile health services and transport of patients to the U.S. military field hospital for treatment. WHO received $150,000 to strengthen disease surveillance and the disease early warning system in earthquakeaffected areas. Finally, USAID/OFDA provided $249,993 to the MENTOR Initiative for emergency health activities, including the dissemination of disease prevention information and distribution of insecticide-treated plastic sheeting.

USAID/OFDA also provided funding for shelter and other emergency activities. CHF International received more than $1.2 million to support transitional shelter activities for earthquake-affected populations, including the construction of 5,000 transitional shelters, training on earthquake-resistant construction techniques, and the rehabilitation of household and community water and sanitation facilities. USAID/OFDA provided nearly $1million to USAID/Indonesia to support shelter, water and sanitation, and humanitarian information activities through Internews and IOM. USAID/OFDA also provided $75,000 to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for humanitarian coordination activities.

DOD Assistance

U.S. military personnel deployed to Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in response to the May 27 earthquake. On June 1, the U.S. Marine Corps Fleet 3rd Surgical Company set up a field hospital in Bantul District. The U.S military medical teams treated more than 3,400 patients at the field hospital and in mobile medical teams. The U.S. military also delivered 310 metric tons of medical and relief supplies to assist earthquake-affected populations. As of June 16, U.S. military relief operations were complete, and U.S. military personnel had redeployed from the disaster area.

As of June 16, DOD reports that expenditures for earthquake relief are approximately $3.5 million.

Footnote

(1) National Coordinating Board for the Management of Disasters

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