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CWS Indonesia delivering emergency shelter in Sumatra quake region--aid workers assessing injuries, damage, relief needs

A mother holds her injured son as he is treated by a doctor at a makeshift tent hospital in Bengkulu, Sumatra, Indonesia, on September 13. Photo: REUTERS/Beawiharta, courtesy www.alertnet.org

September 13, 2007

Jakarta -- A Church World Service Indonesia team is now in the Bengkulu, Sumatra, area assessing damage and needs and delivering an initial supply of tarpaulins for shelter to those affected by a series of major earthquakes and continuing aftershocks that have rocked southern Sumatra since Wednesday (September 12), including fresh temblors as recent as this morning.

Some sources, including the Associated Press, report the death toll from the Sumatran quakes at 13 people thus far.

Another strong temblor, of magnitude 6.4, struck this morning off the coast in the same area of Sumatra hit by Wednesday’s 8.4 quake. According to CNN reports, the U.S. Geological Survey reported four quakes rattling Sumatra, ranging between 5.0 and 5.5 magnitude. Some aftershocks in the region have been even stronger. (A quake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 struck underwater northeast of Sulawesi island--formerly, more commonly known as Celebes--on Thursday.)

According to CWS Indonesia/East Timor Regional Director Maurice Bloem, "Our assessment team is delivering an initial supply of tarpaulins to aid in emergency shelter. Our partner Yakkum Emergency Unit (YEU) reports that many of the injured and affected survivors are staying outdoor because of damage to their homes and due to fear of more quakes."

CWS is coordinating its response with YEU and YTBI (Yayasan Tanggul Bencana Indonesia), members of the Action By Churches Together (ACT) International forum in Indonesia.

Reuters reports today that residents told correspondents at least two areas in Bengkulu province were hit by tsunamis after Wednesday's quake. About 100 houses were damaged by a 3 meter (10 ft.) wave in Serangai, 70 km. north of Bengkulu city, but with no casualties, according to Reuters.

On Wednesday, CWS Indonesia staff in Nias and Meulaboh reported initial panic in the area, although the quake had struck the more southern part of the island of Sumatra.

"People initially panicked and fled to higher ground, remembering not only other quakes we had experienced in the past three years," Bloem explained, "but also the devastation of the 2004 tsunami. They were simply responding to what they had learned."

"From earlier Sumatran quake damage, CWS Indonesia had assisted in rebuilding homes that were well-built and intended to be earthquake resistant," Bloem said. "We are encouraged so far to see that those homes have held."

Bloem said earlier quake and tsunami traumas are restimulated with new disasters. "But everyone has learned. We go outside and don't stand close to houses. You relive those moments of what happened before."

Those devastated by the massive 2004 tsunami and subsequent earthquakes in the volatile region have a strong life spirit, says Bloem, and, with help, have reclaimed their lives and homes. During a visit to Java and the Aceh region of Indonesia last month, Church World Service Director of International Emergency Response Donna J. Derr reported seeing "life returning to normal. There was a vibrancy in the communities and in the marketplaces that was so encouraging to see."

But the scars and fears remain. "Some people have better coping mechanisms than others," Bloem said. He recalled recently meeting with an older couple who had gotten a new, more quake-resistant house built for them by a church organization following one of the recent major quakes.

"The woman had been injured in the quake. CWS built a special toilet adjacent to the new house for her. When we visited the family recently, we saw that the younger family members were in the new house, but the elder woman and her husband were still living in a shack beside the house. They were afraid that the new house would fall on them in another quake," he said. "Sometimes it's hard to let go of the fears."

To contribute to Church World Service relief and recovery efforts in Sumatra, you can make a secure donation online, or call Church World Service toll free at 800-297-1516.

Media Contact:
Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676;
Jan Dragin, 781-925-1526;

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