Indonesia: UN humanitarian chief visits earthquake area in Sumatra

(Jakarta/New York, 14 October 2009): United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes today visited the earthquake-affected area of the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

It has been two weeks since a powerful earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale left a path of destruction across West Sumatra, damaging houses, hospitals, schools, and infrastructure. Initial assessments indicate that 135,000 homes have been severely damaged. Mr. Holmes today visited the city of Padang and the worst affected district of Padang Paramian. He met the governor of West Sumatra, as well as the director of the Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency (BPNB) and representatives of the many international humanitarian actors now on the ground.

In a helicopter tour of worst affected rural areas, Mr. Holmes saw valleys hit by dozens of landslides, and visited a community where more than 130 people had been killed, with many of the bodies unrecoverable. "It was dreadful to see how so many people had been swept to their death. One man I met had lost six members of his family and had only survived because he was not in his house at the time," said Mr. Holmes. "But life has to go on. People are thinking about how they should rebuild their homes, but the issue is also whether many should be relocated away from the landslide risk, as this part of Indonesia is so earthquake prone. The Government is rightly giving thought to this and to how to build back better in general. The fact that today is the International Day of Disaster Risk Reduction serves to remind us that disaster reduction measures have to be a huge priority in Indonesia," Mr. Holmes said.

One urgent issue is shelter supplies such as tents, especially in the rural areas. Access, however, is still a major challenge in some places as many roads are badly damaged or even impassible to the areas where assistance is needed most. "We need to work with the Government to ensure temporary shelter solutions quickly, with the rainy season soon upon us, but then move to more durable housing as soon as possible," Mr. Holmes said. Other areas of concern are emergency education and health, with so many schools and health facilities damaged.

Accompanied on his visit by officials from the BNPB and the Indonesian Red Cross, and the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Indonesia, Mr. Holmes commended the Government for responding effectively to the disaster and coordinating well with the significant international response.

On 9 October, the humanitarian community, in close consultation with the Government, launched a US$38 million Humanitarian Response Plan for the Sumatra earthquake. The plan identifies acute needs to be addressed within 90 days. UN agencies, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and 18 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are requesting funds for 74 humanitarian projects.

Mr. Holmes will conclude his two-day mission on 15 October with meetings in Jakarta with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Planning and Disaster Management Ministries, the secretariat of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the donor community, and UN agencies and NGOs.

For further information, please call: Stephanie Bunker, OCHA-New York, +1 917 367 5126, mobile +1347 244 2106, bunker@un.org; Nicholas Reader +1 212 963 4961, mobile +1 646 752 3117, reader@un.org; Elisabeth Byrs, OCHA-Geneva, +41 22 917 2653, mobile +41 79 473 4570, byrs@un.org. OCHA press releases are available at http://ochaonline.un.org or www.reliefweb.int. For more information about CERF, please see http://cerf.un.org