West Sumatra: Earthquake
SITUATION REPORT | UPDATED: October 2, 2009
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND — Situation Report #1
Three days after the 7.6 Richter Scale (RS) earthquake struck West Sumatra ACT members YTBI, Yakkum Emergency Unit (YEU) and Church World Service (CWS) are in the affected areas and continuing to deliver assistance. The most badly affected areas include Padang Pariaman district (387,500 people) and Pariaman city (77,500 people) located north of Padang city. The death toll has reached over 1000 people in West Sumatra, and is expected to rise further. Thousands of people are still trapped in several buildings in Padang city.
Members report a total of 10.062 houses in Padang Pariaman district have collapsed. Around 19 public facilities are badly damaged; 50 schools are badly destroyed. In addition, 88 houses of worship are severely damaged. Hundreds of buildings and houses are destroyed and badly damaged in Padang city.
Water is also a problem in most of the affected area due to damage done to the water mains; repair of which will only start next week.
About 168 people are badly injured; 1.590 people in Padang city and 500 people in Padang Pariaman district are lightly injured. Most of them have been evacuated to the nearby hospitals. Hospitals throughout the regions were severely damaged while the largest hospital in Padang city has been badly damaged. This hospital is the only one fully equipped to perform surgery. ACT member Yakkum Emergency Unit (YEU) reports that patients are being treated in the hallways due to overcrowding and an open-air morgue has been set up outside the hospital. External medical assistance in particular is greatly needed.
People in Padang Pariaman district are choosing to remain close to their houses in tents in order to keep their property secure.
Some roads to and from neighboring districts are cut off due to landslides. The route to Padang Pariaman from Padang is also cut off. Although, Padang Pariaman can be reached through an alternative route: Sibolga – Payambungan – Pasaman – Simpang Empat Panti – Tipu - Padang Pariaman.
Update on the ACT International Response
- Coordination
Members of the ACT Indonesia Forum continue to coordinate their responses. Victor Rembeth (YTBI) is currently acting as the forum focal-point. Upon the forum’s request, Rebecca Young from ACT member Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA), based in Jakarta, is to support the forum’s coordinated information and communications on this response for approximately two months. She will be flying to Padang on Sunday with Victor Rembeth. The ACT Coordinating office is receiving funding pledges from around the world towards a forthcoming appeal. Locally-based staff of Lutheran World Relief and Christian Aid are also supporting the ACT response.
Members are maintaining coordination with the government, UN agencies, churches and other I/NGOs.
- Church World Service
CWS is focusing its response in Padang Pariaman district, which is currently difficult to access due to roads blocked because of the quake. CWS already has one staff member in Padang Pariaman district conducting a rapid assessment of needs in terms of shelter, water and sanitation and the special needs of children under-five years old. CWS is deploying a team of eight people for further assessment and response.
The team has departed from Meulaboh and Calang, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam to Padang Pariaman today with two trucks of emergency aid, containing: 434 plastic mats, 1000 blankets, 131 (5x7) tarps, 133 (5x4) tarps, 200 family tents, 58 buckets of relief kit, and 1,357 baby kits.
A base-camp will be set up once the truck arrives in Padang Pariaman. CWS plans to mobilize additional staff to be deployed to the affected areas. Further assistance will include psychosocial support to the recovery of children.
- Yakkum Emergency Unit
YEU has deployed 3 emergency teams to West Sumatra, two of which reached the most badly affected region of Pariaman on Friday afternoon (local time).
The first team departed from Medan (North Sumatra) and consists of two medical doctors, two nurses, one physiotherapist and one logistician equipped with medicines, suture kits and wound care equipment, to serve 1500 patients. The team has also taken non-food relief items including 100 personal hygiene kits, 50 baby care kits, 100 blankets and 50 tarpaulins.
The second team departed from Yogyakarta and consists of an information and psychosocial assessment officer and one nurse specialised in emergency care from Bethesda hospital, Yogyakarta.
The third team will depart from Medan on Friday evening, consisting of one medical doctor and one logistician equipped with medicines, suture kits and wound care equipment sufficient for 500 patients.
In anticipation of power outages, the team are also equipped with two generators with 5000 watts capacity and enough fuel supply to be able to support the medical services in the field.
Medical service and mobile clinics will be set up in the regions to serve 2000 survivors and post-operative patients who have been unable to access hospital care.
The teams are also assessing the trauma level of children and the immediate needs of the survivor.
YEU’s Yogyakarta headquarters team are currently preparing for the deployment of a water purification system.
- YTBI
A team of YTBI information, project and church relations staff members was deployed this afternoon to Padang from Jakarta bringing medicines from the Association of Pharmaceutical Companies to the affected areas. In addition staff from Medan (North Sumatra) are bringing a car load of food and non-food relief items. YTBI is working in partnership with the Protestant Christian Church of Mentawai in Padang (GKPM).
