The Federation's mission is to improve
the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity. It
is the world's largest humanitarian organization and its millions of volunteers
are active in over 183 countries.
In Brief
Appeal No. MDRID001, Operations Update
no. 3; Period covered: 7 to 9 June 2006;
Appeal target: CHF 38,045,439 (USD 31 million or EUR 24 million);
Appeal coverage: 55.3% (according to the updated list of contributions;
66.6% including provisional or unrecorded pledges).
Appeal history:
- Preliminary appeal launched on 27 May 2006 for CHF 12.8 million (USD 10.4 million or EUR 8.2 million) for 8 months to assist 200,000 beneficiaries.
- Revised appeal was launched on 6 June for CHF 38 million to assist 325,000 beneficiaries for 12 months.
Operational Summary: The Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), with the support of the Federation and partner national societies, continue to gain momentum in the Yogyakarta earthquake response, reaching out to more vulnerable with immediate food, non-food, shelter, medical care, water and sanitation services. The Federation thanks member national societies, their governments, ECHO and private donors for their generous and timely response so far to the appeal. Further cash contributions are urgently needed to step up ongoing and longer-term earthquake response, and the Mt. Merapi volcano contingency planning and preparedness efforts. A particular focus is the reinforcement of prepositioned relief supplies, human resources, and coordination strategies with the authorities and other humanitarian players.
Mt. Merapi (literally meaning "Mountain of Fire") remains at maximum alert level 4. Yesterday (Thursday 8 June) saw a further significant increase in the volcano's activity. During the past days, frequent pyroclastic flows have been observed, each lasting as long as 12 minutes. These flows are now continuous, with a current maximum distance of 5 kms. Up to 300 minor avalanches were also recorded yesterday, and the Mt. Merapi lava dome has now reached a height of 112 metres. This represents a current daily increase of the summit by Indonesian Red Cross together with the Red Cross and Red Crescent partners are scaling up contingency efforts to prepare for heightened Mount Merapi activity. 3 meters, and an increase of volume of approximately 100,000 cubic metres (cbm). It is estimated that the dome currently holds approximately 4 million cbm of lava material. The 27 May earthquake apparently caused the pyroclastic flow to change direction (now mainly running in a south-easterly direction). Gas plumes vary between 300 - 500 metres in height. Yesterday, a south/south-westerly wind was registered at 10,000 metres, however, the wind-direction at lower altitude is north/north-easterly, blowing the thick volcanic clouds towards the area where most of the earthquake damage had occurred.
A sudden collapse of the volcano could send pyroclastic material, noxious gases and glowing hot ash over several kilometers towards populated areas. There is a total population of approximately 2 million people living in the vicinity of the volcano, and the city of Yogyakarta is only some 20 kms south of the volcano. Despite this danger, there are still many people who refuse to leave their homes and properties. While these would be in immediate grave danger during a dome collapse or vertical eruption, there would also be a greatly increased risk of lahars, ash/mud avalanches that could reach a distance of several kilometers and speeds of over 100 kms/hour, posing a significant danger to anyone living further away in the path, or to those unable to escape in time. Stone avalanches can also occur due to the very steep mountain face shaped by the frequent lavaflows.
Mount Merapi is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, and regarded by scientists as a "high-risk" volcano and the most dangerous worldwide. On average, Merapi has erupted every 4-7 years. 32 of the 67 documented eruptions were accompanied by heavy lava flows, a dangerous mix of loose volcanic material, and up to 700° C. hot gases. During the last strong period of activity, 60 people died from the hot ash rain alone. In 1930, the pyroclastic flow reached a distance of over 12 km. In 1872, a vertical eruption blew off the entire summit and created a crater of 288,000 square metres, with a depth of 500 metres. Continuous and gradual lava production produced a total filling up of this crater by 1920. The latest series of eruptions begun in July 1998 after a dormant period of 1½ years. Mt Merapi is one of 300 active volcanoes in Indonesia.
The International Federation undertakes activities that are aligned with its Global Agenda, which sets out four broad goals to meet the Federation's mission to "improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity".
Global Agenda Goals:
- Reduce the numbers of deaths, injuries and impact from disasters.
- Reduce the number of deaths, illnesses and impact from diseases and public health emergencies.
- Increase local community, civil society and Red Cross Red Crescent capacity to address the most urgent situations of vulnerability.
- Reduce intolerance, discrimination and social exclusion and promote respect for diversity and human dignity.
Summary of the contingency plan:
Indonesia Red Cross (PMI)
- Engaged in: evacuation, providing temporary shelter, ambulance and medical services, field kitchens, relief distributions, water and sanitation, and mobile medical teams
- Human resources mobilized: 400 trained SATGANA and youth volunteers, local medical teams in all district levels
- Field kitchens - 14 field kitchens
- Ambulances - eight ambulances
Additional capacity
- 5,000 ready food packs (pre-positioned stock in Magelang and Sleman)
- Non-food items: (for 5,000 families in warehouses in Jakarta, Surabaya, Padang/W. Sumatra ) - family tents, tarpaulins, family kits, hygiene kits, sleeping mats, mosquito nets, second hand clothing
- Four Indonesian regional Medical Action Teams + one field hospital unit
- Two water tankers and four water bladders (supported by the Spanish Red Cross) and six additional bladders
- 36 neighbouring branches (more than 3,000 volunteers and ambulances and field kitchens)
- National level: national response team (KHUSUS) with PMI capacity of 30 provincial branches
For further information specifically related to this operation please contact:
- In Indonesia: Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), Mr. Arifin M. Hadi (acting head of disaster management division); mobile: (+62 811) 943952; telephone: (+62 21) 799 2325 ext. 222; email: arifinmhd@telkom.net Federation delegation, Mr. Latifur Rahman (disaster management delegate); email: latifur.rahman@ifrc.org; mobile: +62 81 1826614; Mr Arnulv Torbjornsen (head of delegation); email: arnulv.torbjornsen@ifrc.org; phone: +62 21 79191841, fax: +62 21 79180905.
- In Thailand: Federation Southeast Asia regional delegation, Mr Michael Annear (head of disaster management unit,phone: +66 2661 8201 ext 430, e-mail: michael.annear@ifrc.org; Mr Bekele Geleta (head of regional delegation), phone: +66 2661 8201 ext 100, email: bekele.geleta@ifrc.org
- In Geneva: Asia Pacific department, Mr Gert Venghaus; email: gert.venghaus@ifrc.org, mobile +41 79 217 4258, mobile: +41 792 173 368, phone: +44 22 7304285, fax: +41 22 7330395.
All International Federation assistance seeks to adhere to the Code of Conduct and is committed to the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response in delivering assistance to the most vulnerable. For support to or for further information concerning Federation programmes or operations in this or other countries, or for a full description of the national society profile, please access the Federation's website at http://www.ifrc.org
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