W Sumatra Indonesia Earthquake Update

Rescue efforts at a collapsed hotel

The most recent information from the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) report is this: 1,117 confirmed deaths as of October 15. Thousands more remain seriously injured. Search and Rescue operations stopped on October 6, as survival after six days is impossible. The director of West Sumatra's center for disaster management said a shift from rescue to recovery and reconstruction was standard practice in any disaster after six days.

Landslides are a big problem. The West Java Provincial Disaster Management Agency (SATKORLAK) has reported at least 1,000 landslide spots in the highland area of Gunung Tigo, outside of Padang, the largest city in West Sumatra. The landslides have destroyed entire villages and agricultural land.

Another big issue in any disaster situation is control of communicable disease. Thus far, there are no major disease outbreaks at this time. There are, however, high rates of respiratory infections, diarrhea, and stress. The World Health Organization reported earlier that tetanus is also a rising problem. Distribution continues to be a major obstacle to delivering aid supplies.

Damaged roads and communications systems impede aid workers, and bad weather is expected for the next several days, creating even more difficulty as landslides continue to threaten the region. Major infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed in the earthquake. The following have been severely damaged or destroyed: 1,386 classrooms,168 roads, 241 offices, 16 bridges, and 1,237 places of worship. SATKORLAK estimates the total loss at approximately $233 million.

While life is slowly regaining momentum, there is still a desperate need for access to clean water and shelter. Water pumps, spot lights, family tents, generators, blankets, water installations and psycho-social support for affected people have all been identified as community needs. Food relief is still required in some remote areas due to the unusable roadways. Alex Mahoney, disaster program manager for American Red Cross-Asia, said that some villagers are either unable or too frightened to stay in their damaged homes, and are now living under plastic tarps in front of their houses. Many affected villagers have to walk long distances to get water as the water tables in the village wells have become too deep. Compounded by injuries inflicted on villagers during the earthquake, these problems become more severe and make access to potable water and shelter a very high priority.

The Government of Indonesia is planning to end the disaster rescue phase and move on to the recovery phase. They are beginning to plan for longer term community needs. At the same time, the rescue phase is still being conducted. There are many healthcare needs and many hospitals need clean water. Uplift International is shipping solar powered water filtration systems for the hospitals along with 11 tons of medicines and medical supplies. They will arrive next week in Padang.