From Thursday last
week, three days of tidal waves caused thousands of residents to flee
their homes and destroyed hundreds of houses, fishing boats and tourist
spots in eleven Indonesian provinces. The massive waves began last Thursday
and rose up to 7 meters (22.9 feet) high striking the islands of Sumatra,
Java and Bali. Weather officials have said the waves were a result of
the accumulation of winds in one spot and are not associated with any
annual weather patterns.
One person was
killed by the waves, hundreds of fishing boats were destroyed, and
in five of the affected provinces houses were destroyed or badly damaged.
West Java province was the worst hit, with at least 200 houses swept
away by the tidal waves along the coast of Pelabuhan Ratu. In the
District of Agam, West Sumatra, 500 houses were severely damaged and
around 2,300 persons are temporarily displaced. Displaced persons
are currently living under tents and in public buildings including
mosques, schools and government offices.
In Aceh Barat,
roads are flooded and 375 households are temporarily displaced to
safer areas as a result of the damage to their homes. The waves forced
tourists to flee the popular beaches on the island of Bali and also
wiped out hundreds of fishing boats in the Jimbaran area, which is
famous for its fisheries industry.
Three members
of the global alliance, Action by Churches Together (ACT) International
working in Indonesia, Church World Service (CWS) Indonesia, YAKKUM
Emergency Unit (YEU) and Yayasan Tanggul Bencana di Indonesia (YTBI),
report that they are coordinating their responses to this latest disaster
in the region.
CWS, UNICEF and
the Spanish Red Cross plan a joint response in Aceh that will include
CWS assisting with sanitation facilities. CWS is completing an assessment
there and may distribute non-food items. CWS will continue to monitor
the situation in affected areas.
In the badly hit
coastal areas of West Sumatra where the three ACT members have on-going
rehabilitation programs in response to the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami
(ACT appeal ASRE51), the progress of some projects has been disrupted.
For example, supplies
of cement, sand and wood in YEU and CWS warehouses had to be moved
to safety away from the rising waters. In Aceh Jaya housing construction
is affected as the transportation of materials has temporarily stopped
as roads are blocked. The YTBI housing project in Suak Pantebrueh,
Samatiga came to a halt as the area was flooded by as much as a meter
of water and the house reconstruction teams were forced to temporarily
abandon the project site. Sand for the construction of 13 houses was
completely washed away. In the same area, YTBI livelihood recovery
projects were affected with damage to carpentry machines and wood,
20 fish ponds were flooded in Lhok Bubon, and two boats were damaged
from the fishermens’ group. The impact of these losses is still being
assessed. Transitional shelters constructed by YEU for families displaced
by the 2004 Tsunami were not affected as they were built on stilts.
All three ACT
members are continuing to monitor the situation, though no indication
is being given at this time that Rapid Response funding or an ACT
Appeal will be requested.
