Situation Report — Indonesia

January 14, 2005

After two and a half weeks, the effects of the tsunami on Indonesia's Aceh province are all too clear. The latest reports from the Indonesian government put the death toll at 116,000, but that figure will rise as more areas become accessible. Some 2,200 bodies were excavated on Sunday, January 9 in Banda Aceh, the provincial capital, despite the heavy rains, which have hampered the operation over the past days.

The towns of Banda Aceh and Meulaboh bore the brunt of the earthquake and killer waves. While Meulaboh has reportedly suffered terrible losses, the situation remains unclear. Access is gradually improving with the clearing of debris and bodies, which had previously blocked routes to displaced camps.

ACT members working in Aceh — Church World Service (CWS) Indonesia, YAKKUM Emergency Unit (YEU) and Yayasan Tanggul Bankana (YTB) — have coordinated their responses by appointing an ACT regional coordinator. An office has been set up in Medan to respond to the crisis.

CWS has been operating in Banda Aceh since 2002 and working closely with Mamamia, a local developmental organization. Together they have been actively identifying displaced persons and providing assistance in the form of medical care and food distribution. But their work is being hampered as they await the arrival of non-food items such as blankets and health kits.

Another ACT member, Norwegian Church Aid (NCA), has been assisting with water and sanitation planning. Two water engineers are assessing possibilities for water-purification sites. While awaiting the arrival of their equipment, the NCA team has initiated a solid-waste management scheme in TVRI camp, which has 3,000 internally displaced persons. A local water engineer will be employed to facilitate the CWS water and sanitation work.

YEU is operating in Lhokseumawe, North Aceh, while YTB is directing its attention on Nias Island, North Sumatra. The task facing all organizations is immense, not least the provision of shelter, relief and clean water to more than 100,000 people left homeless by the killer waves in Banda Aceh alone. All over Banda Aceh, temporary relief shelters have been set up, and some system of organization is beginning to be seen. But in other areas, desperate people wait for the sound of a helicopter and risk life and limb to get at one of the packets being thrown from the American aircraft.

Financial support for responding to this crisis has been very generous. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has just sent $200,000 to help our partners in this ongoing response.