Indonesian quake destruction worse than thought - World Vision

|PIC1|Trihadi Saptoadi, World Vision's national director in Indonesia said: “The number of houses and other properties suffering from heavy, moderate, and minor damages is actually almost as big as the Jogjakarta quake,” comparing to the Jogjakarta quake of 2006, when 6,000 people died. Saptoadi has just returned from Pengalengan, one of the hardest-hit areas in the region.

“In several villages in Pengalengan sub-district alone, almost all of the houses have collapsed or are heavily damaged.

“Right now, there is not enough emergency aid available to meet the growing need," said Saptoadi.

“While the government and local organizations have started providing humanitarian assistance, many victims still have not received adequate food and other necessities,” he said.

A devastating earthquake with a 7.3-magnitude hit Indonesia on 2 September causing 64 confirmed deaths, flattened or seriously damaged more than 10,000 homes, offices, schools and mosques on the western side of the densely populated island of Java.

Unlike Jogjakarta when the earthquake only affected two district, this time the earthquake caused damages to several districts including Tasikmalaya, Garut, Banjar, Bandung, West Bandung, Cianjur, and Sukabumi districts. It also caused some damages in Bogor and Jakarta and even Cilacap district in Central Java, officials said.

Saptoadi added that nearly 30 school buildings, or almost 50 percent of all the schools in the Pengalengan sub-district, also suffered from serious damages. Pengalengan is the worst affected area.

Relief items being distributed

World Vision staff members who visited Pengalengan on September 3 said they were very concerned that the lack of clean water and poor sanitation could spark diseases among the displaced families. A team from World Vision is currently conducting an assessment to determine the extent of the need for clean water, the relief body said.

As part of its emergency response to the quake, World Vision said it has distributed 400 family kits and 200 children's kits in Pengalengan. The kits include items like tarpaulins, blankets, cooking pans, baby oil, and soap.

“Within the week, our team will distribute an additional 3,000 family kits, 1,000 children's kits, and 1,000 educational kits. In addition, plans are underway to distribute emergency relief items to families in Tasikmalaya and open up at least four Child-Friendly Spaces in the area to provide psychosocial support to children,” stated its public statement on Friday.

The Christian relief said its staff members in Indonesia will continue to monitor this situation and respond with humanitarian assistance. Donations can be made to World Vision's Earthquake Relief Fund to help provide family kits and emergency aid to those affected by the disaster.

The health ministry, which is distributing provisions, blankets and medicine, admitted to Al-jazeerah news that many remote areas had not received enough help.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago, straddles continental plates and is prone to seismic activity along what is known as the Pacific Ring of Fire. It was one of the worst affected country during 2004 Tsunami.