Red Cross provides additional emergency assistance to Indonesia
(Ottawa, May 30, 2006) – The Canadian Red Cross continues to assist the worldwide efforts to help survivors of the recent earthquake in Indonesia.
A Canadian Red Cross aid worker based in Banda Aceh is on his way to Yogyakarta to assist the relief efforts of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and its disaster assessment team in the area.
"The next few days are critical. We are working around the clock to get aid into the hardest-hit areas as quickly as possible,” says Jean-Pierre Taschereau, Canadian Red Cross Indonesia Field Co-ordinator. “The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is effectively mobilizing its resources to help the most vulnerable as they struggle to come to terms with this tragedy.”
The Canadian Red Cross has also contributed $800,000 to the IFRC’s preliminary $10.8-million appeal. This includes a $500,000 contribution from the Canadian International Development Agency, $200,000 from the Government of Ontario and $100,000 from the Canadian Red Cross International Disaster Relief Fund. A revised appeal is expected later this week.
The Red Cross also continues to collect donations from Canadians. Funds collected will be used to provide food, health services, water and sanitation facilities, temporary shelter for earthquake survivors and other related relief activities.
The IFRC has mobilized three Emergency Response Units (ERUs) to assist with the Indonesian earthquake relief operation. ERUs are made up of trained teams of specialists and pre-packaged sets of standardized equipment ready for immediate use in disaster zones. A relief ERU will assist with the allocation of aid, such as tents, as well as the registration of survivors. A logistics ERU will handle the coordination of relief, including transportation and air operations. In addition, an information and telecommunications ERU will help restore communications in the area.
“These units will also boost the capacity of the Indonesian Red Cross to respond to local needs,” says Taschereau.
In the immediate hours after the disaster, the Indonesia Red Cross Society (Pelang Merah Indonesia or PMI), supported by the IFRC mobilized more than 400 staff and volunteers to undertake assessments and the relief operation.
Since the quake struck, the PMI with the support of the IFRC has been providing humanitarian assistance, including emergency medical care, food, drinking water, and tents to the affected communities. The IFRC has sent a total of 2.5 metric tonnes of medical and relief supplies to the region.
In addition, a Red Cross field hospital has been set up in Bantul, where around 80 per cent of buildings were damaged or destroyed. The hospital has surgical, radiology, and obstetrics services and will be staffed by doctors and nurses from various National Societies, as well as the Indonesian Red Cross. It has a maximum capacity of 200 beds and can provide health services for a population of up to 150,000 people.
Damaged roads, heavy storms and rain are complicating the relief effort, while water and electricity infrastructures have also been affected, making conditions difficult. The local branch office of the Indonesian Red Cross in Yogyakarta was damaged by the quake, making it harder for the local Red Cross to deliver aid.
Local officials and the Red Cross are also closely monitoring Mt Merapi, an active volcano located about 40 kilometres north of Yogyakarta, which is threatening to erupt. The Red Cross is working in close collaboration with government, the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies involved in the earthquake response.
In-kind donations of food, clothing and other items, while well intentioned, are not the best way to help those in need. There are tremendous processing and transportation costs involved in shipping these items to earthquake survivors. Local purchases of food and clothing are more effective and culturally appropriate. Red Cross supplies can be purchased in the immediate area, thereby reducing transportation costs and supporting the local economy. Cash transfers to the affected region provide the optimum flexibility to our Red Cross colleagues so they can best meet the most urgent needs.
Canadians wishing to help can make a cash donation online; by calling 1-800-418-1111, the 24-hour toll-free line that accepts VISA and MasterCard; in person at any local Red Cross branch; or by mailing a cheque made payable to the Canadian Red Cross (earmarked "Indonesia Earthquake") and mailed to The Canadian Red Cross Society, National Office, 170 Metcalfe Street, Suite 300, Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 2P2.
The Canadian Red Cross is a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, which includes the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross and 183 national Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The Canadian Red Cross mission is to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity in Canada and around the world.
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Canadian Red Cross workers in Indonesia and Canada are available for interviews.
For more information, please contact:
Jenna Clarke
Public Affairs
Tel: (613) 740-1966
Cell: (613) 296-4669
