From: kevin@inscoe.org (Kevin P. Inscoe) Date: Mon, Jun 12, 2000, 7:55pm To: zerg90@webtv.net (Peter Szerlag) Subject: [Fwd: [SITREPS:2719] Indonesia: Earthquake - OCHA-05: 12-Jun-00]
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Subject: [SITREPS:2719] Indonesia: Earthquake - OCHA-05: 12-Jun-00
Date: Mon, 12 Jun 00 17:14:35 EDT
From: Incident Information
To: "Situation Reports"
OCHA Situation Report No. 5
Indonesia - Earthquake
12 June 2000
The present report is a summary of situation reports provided by the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team in Bengkulu as of 11 June 2000.
SITUATION
Nature of the disaster
1. On 4/5/6 June 2000 a series of earthquakes were recorded in the area southwest of Sumatra in Indonesia. The epicentres were located about 100 kms southwest of Bengkulu City with a highest recorded magnitude between 7.3 and 7.9 on the Richter scale (measurements were different from different authorities). Aftershocks continued for some days and occasional
aftershocks still occur. There has been no report of any tsunami in Indonesia following the earthquakes.
Area affected
2. The earthquake was felt as far away as Jakarta and Singapore but the main impact was on the city and province of Bengkulu and the off-lying island of Enggano. Bengkulu province has a population of 1.5 million. Bengkulu City and Enggano Island in the province home 350,000 and 2,000 people respectively. No casualties or damage are reported from any other province.
Casualties
3. Latest casualty figures reported from the provincial government:
Dead: 90
Seriously injured: 612
Slightly injured: 1,562
Housing
4. Damage to houses:
Completely destroyed: 352
Partially damaged: 669
The UNDAC team considers that damage to housing is likely to be substantially higher than currently assessed. Attempts to refine the total
are being made. Provincial authorities are using a planning figure of 22,000 houses affected.
5. On the island of Enggano, there were only minor injuries but up to 95%
of 300 houses are reported to be seriously damaged. Assessment by local authorities is complicated by the fact that many houses that appear externally sound have significant internal damage.
Infrastructure
6. Additional damage has been caused to infrastructure and lifelines.
- Electric power systems in Bengkulu and some outlying districts were disrupted by damage to generators and power poles.
- Piped water in Bengkulu was previously available to about 30 per cent of
the city. The damage to water supply systems have now reduced this to about 5 per cent. In addition many wells and bores in rural districts are
damaged. One noted problem is the cracking of concrete sleeves lining wells, which allows leakage of pollutants into rural water sources.
- Harbour facilities were also affected. The roll-on roll-off wharf at Enggano was surveyed by the Dutch Navy and is considered only suitable for
use with extreme caution. The wharf at Bengkulu suffered only slight damage and is serviceable but the approach road crosses two bridges that are affected and only safe for light trucks. Some marine navigation marks
have been damaged or moved.
- Bengkulu airport is understood to be completely serviceable.
7. The Manna sub-district of South Bengkulu reports 99 schools, 109 public buildings (mosques etc), 44 administrative buildings (including some health centres) and 9 bridges damaged. These figures, while they include minor damage, give an idea of the impact on one hard-hit area.
8. The earthquake has had a significant impact on some rural communities
with limited resources. Assessment teams have noted that fishing communities appear to be particularly badly affected because of extreme poverty and a reluctance for men to leave their families living in temporary shelter while they go fishing.
Projected Evolution/Secondary Threats
9. Aftershocks do not appear to be causing further casualties or damage but are affecting the morale of the population, some of whom are reluctant
to sleep indoors even in houses that appear to be undamaged. Most other secondary threats existed to some degree even before the earthquake. Water
purity standards are poor so that people boil their waters as a matter of
necessity. The danger from bad water could be worse now but to date there
is no report of any significant increase in the occurrence of diarrhoea or
other ailments.
10. Malnutrition already identified among some children in the province could be made worse by shortage of food.
11. The other potential threat, particularly if there is significant rain
in the near future is from landslips that could block major and minor roads as well as damage some badly sited houses. It will also affect people who are living outdoors and the patients in the improvised hospital
tents.
NATIONAL RESPONSE
Organization: national and local authorities
12. The response to the earthquake is being co-ordinated by the Bengkulu
Provincial Government with direct responsibility for co-ordination delegated to the Deputy Governor. An emergency operations centre (SATKORLAK POSKO INDUK) is operating from tented accommodation outside the
Governor's Office, which is damaged and considered unsafe at present. Sub-operations centres, managed by the respective level of government, are
operating in affected sub-provinces and districts.
13. Relief supplies are forwarded by SATKORLAK to the sub-provincial operations centre (SATLAK), which are responsible for coordinating distribution.
Central government is committed to supporting the provincial government.
Operations
14. Aid supplies are delivered to a store at the Provincial Governor's Office from which they are distributed to SATLAKs for distribution to victims. Initial deliveries were of food (mainly rice and instant noodles)
but from 11 June there has been some distribution of tarpaulins, plastic sheeting, sleeping mats and sarongs (clothing).
Constraints
15. The relief operation is constrained by the lack of an existing provincial disaster management or disaster relief plan so the relief structure and procedures are being developed 'on the run'.
INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
16. In addition to what was reported in OCHA situation report No. 4 issued on 9 June 2000, international donors have provided the following:
Organization Relief Activities
Australia
- 10,130 water containers (10 litre)
- 10,000 water containers (20 litre)
- 9 flexible water tanks (7 x 2,000 litre, 2 x 5,000 litre)
- AUD 500,000 (approx. USD 290,000) Financial support in response to the IFRC appeal
- AUD 100,000 (approx. USD 58,000) through the Australian Embassy in Jakarta for relief assistance
Netherlands
- Delivery of food and medical supplies to Enggano
- Technical teams to repair water supply system, hospital facilities and survey wharves
- Reconnaissance assistance to UNDAC Team
IFRC/Indonesian Red Cross
- Planned provision of 15,000 family kits, tarpaulins, sleeping mats, cooking sets etc.
World Vision Indonesia
- Assessment team (arrived on 10 June), assessing family needs to plan response with family kits
- Planned delivery of up to 2,000 kits from next week
ASSISTANCE/NEEDS
Priority Relief Needs
17. Shelter: There is a clear need for interim shelter materials (tarpaulins and plastic sheeting) for up to 20,000 families. IFRC intends
to deliver 15,000 family kits over the next ten days. Kits will include two 6 x 4 metre tarpaulins. World Vision Indonesia intends to distribute family kits, including a single 6 x 8 metre tarpaulin, from the end of next week. 6 x 8 metre tarpaulins are the preferred size but may not be available in all countries. Weather at present is dry but the UNDAC Team anticipates that conditions will deteriorate if prolonged wet weather begins. Although some local supplies are available these are small and a further 3,000 tarpaulins are needed. Procurement in Jakarta is believed to
be feasible.
18. Medical and Health: Donations from the Swiss, Singapore, Japanese and
other governments have met all the expressed needs for medical supplies. The critical need is for an interim hospital facility to enable the general hospital to operate more effectively than under the present ad hoc
tented arrangements. These are overcrowded and only just effective and provide basic facilities. Operations are being carried out by transporting
patients to the military or private hospitals then returning them to tents
for post-operative care. An additional need is for between 3 and 5 small
ambulances. Bengkulu hospital has only 3 small ambulances to cover the city and the rural areas. Seriously injured survivors in rural areas have
had to be treated as well as possible without coming into town because suitable transport could not be made available.
19. Water Supply: Water distribution systems have been seriously affected
by the earthquake. The provincial government is using a very limited number of water tankers to deliver water around Bengkulu city but is handicapped not only by the small number of tankers but also by the lack of district water tanks to hold water for collection by families. Need is
for: 20 collapsible or pre-fabricated tanks, with supply taps, of 5,000
to
10,000 litres each for placement as district tanks. 10 bladder tanks of 5,000 to 10,000 litres suitable for placing on flat-bed trucks to convert
them into temporary water carriers.
20. Food: The Indonesian authorities (both national and provincial) are providing food on an apparently broad basis to communities in the affected
area. There appear to be specific poor communities and families that need
food support for a period because of major losses of all resources caused
by the collapse of houses and stores or because of loss of income. This aid needs to be specifically targeted. In the UNDAC Team's view, the majority of the population of the affected area do not need food assistance. Details of the identified communities in need and the scale of
the need will be forwarded in a later report.
21. Transport of aid: Transport for aid from Jakarta to Bengkulu has been
offered by the Indonesian armed forces. This should cover the needs in all
but the most urgent cases.
Longer-term assistance
22. The UNDAC team agrees that in the longer term, assistance will be needed for reconstruction. Building materials (timber, concrete, corrugated iron, nails and tools) will be needed to assist families, particularly in rural and poor urban areas, to rebuild their homes. Technical assistance to develop public information and education programs
that encourage better home building standards may also be needed. The technical expertise for earthquake resistant houses exists in-country and
should be deployed now that people are rebuilding. Further indications of
needs at this stage of the disaster will be discussed in later reports.
MEANS OF DELIVERY OF INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE
Logistics and distribution system
23. Relief supplies from international agencies will normally need to be
landed at Jakarta. Bengkulu has only a small airport capable of operating
up to Fokker 100 aircraft and a small port. The wharf facilities are adequate for handling cargo but the bridges along the road to the wharf were damaged and their approach ramps slumped. The latter have been refilled but the bridges are not considered safe for movement of more than
light trucks until surveyed and repaired. At a public meeting on 10 June the Indonesian Navy offered assistance with movement of supplies between Jakarta and Bengkulu in its landing craft, one of which has already been involved in operations in the area for a week.
24. The Provincial Government distribution system for supplies is still being developed and is currently not capable of providing accountability for supply delivery. The basis for its deliveries to a sub-district is the
number of severely damaged houses in that sub-district but no accounting chain for deliveries is apparent.
OTHER INFORMATION
Security
25. At this stage there is no security threat to international teams. However the situation will be continually monitored.
COORDINATION
26. OCHA is prepared to serve as a channel for cash contributions to be used for immediate relief assistance, in coordination/consultation with relevant organizations in the United Nations system. Funds should be transferred to OCHA account No. CO-590.160.0, Swift code: UBSWCHZ12A at the UBS AG, P.O. Box 2770, CH-1211 Geneva 2, with reference: OCHA ? Indonesia - Earthquake. OCHA provides donors with written confirmation and
pertinent details concerning the utilization of the funds contributed.
27. For coordination purposes, donors are requested to inform OCHA Geneva, as indicated below, of bilateral relief missions/pledges/contributions and their corresponding values by item.
28. Any future updates on contributions to this disaster may be found by
clicking on Financial Tracking at the top of the page for this disaster on
the OCHA Internet Website (http://www.reliefweb.int). Donors are requested
to verify this table and inform OCHA Geneva of corrections/additions/values. Donors are encouraged to notify OCHA Geneva
of their contributions to this disaster using the OCHA Standardized Contributions Recording Format, available electronically in the above mentioned Financial Tracking Website.
29. OCHA is in close contact with the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator and the UNDAC team, and will revert with further information.
30. This situation report, together with further information on ongoing emergencies, is also available on the OCHA Internet Website at http://www.reliefweb.int
Telephone: +41-22-917 1234
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23
E-mail: ochagva@un.org
In case of emergency Tel. +41-22-917 20 10 only:
Desk Officers: Ms. S. Metzner-Strack / Mr. R. Mueller / Mr. S. Matsuka Direct Tel. +41-22-917 21 44 / 31 31 / 40 34
Press contact:
(in GVA) Mr. Donato Kiniger-Passigli, direct Tel. +41-22-917 26 53 Ms. (in NY) Phyllis Lee, direct Tel. +1-212-963 48 32
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