International assistance flowing to Indonesia

(New York: 30 May 2006): Increasing international assistance is arriving in Yogayakarta, Indonesia, following last Friday's earthquake, which has claimed more than 5,000 lives and injured more than 8,000 people. The earthquake, which measured 6.2 on the Richter scale, has damaged or destroyed more than 60,000 houses.
Most United Nations agencies have been able to redirect relief supplies and humanitarian personnel from other operations in Indonesia, including in tsunami-affected areas and near Mount Merapi, in support of the Government's response.

The Government of Indonesia has officially welcomed international assistance, citing antibiotics, food, blankets and tents as the most urgent needs. More than 22 Governments have already responded with in-kind material assistance and international disaster response teams. The United Nations plans to launch an Emergency Response Action Plan for the Indonesia earthquake in the coming days following the conclusion of the main needs assessment.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has sent medicines, emergency health kits and communications equipment to the affected area. Additionally, four field hospitals have been deployed to the area by China, Qatar, Singapore and the United States. The Yogyakarta provincial government advises that they are sufficient to meet needs.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has been distributing food assistance; more than 70 metric tonnes of high-energy biscuits and 75 tonnes of noodles were dispatched to the affected areas. However, additional non-governmental organization (NGO) partners are needed to assist with the food distributions. Also, as lack of storage space has also posed a constraint on assistance efforts, the WFP is flying 10 mobile warehouses into the affected area.

Additionally, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has provided water bladders, hygiene and recreational kits, tarpaulins, lanterns, stoves, and cooking sets. Child centre tents have been set up.

As part of the immediate response, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released a $100,000 emergency cash grant from its reserve fund, and an additional $50,000 cash grant from Norwegian funds pre-positioned with OCHA. A five-member United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team is on the ground in the affected area.

The United Nations also warns that replenishment of stocks redirected to the earthquake-affected areas is essential to ongoing work in tsunami-affected and other areas.

For further information, please call: Stephanie Bunker, OCHA-New York, +1 917 367 5126, mobile +1 917 892 1679; Kristen Knutson, OCHA-New York, +1 917 367 9262; Elisabeth Byrs, OCHA-Geneva, +41 22 917 2653, mobile, +41 79 473 4570. OCHA press releases are available at http://ochaonline.un.org or www.reliefweb.int.