International Rescue Committee

Help Still Urgently Needed for Indonesia Quake Survivors

The 6.3-magnitude earthquake that struck central Java on May 27 has killed nearly 6,000 people and injured tens of thousands in a region already threatened by the volatile Mt. Merapi volcano. Some 650,000 people have been left homeless by the disaster.

Within a day of the quake, an International Rescue Committee doctor treated some 400 survivors in 48 hours and led the distribution of one ton of medicines and first aid supplies. IRC emergency response experts who joined him have been providing thousands of families in villages in the hardest-hit areas with urgently needed drinking water, blankets, hygiene supplies, new latrines, and materials to start rebuilding homes.

The needs of the survivors are still enormous.

"There is an urgent need for more funding if we're going to prevent disease outbreaks and provide viable shelter," says Michael Kocher, IRC regional director for Indonesia.

IRC teams will also set up “child friendly spaces” - safe and structured environments where the youngest and most vulnerable survivors can play, learn and begin to heal.

Read more >> Fact sheet [PDF] >>

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A mother and daughter who were left homeless by the May 27 central Java earthquake are living in a makeshift shelter with the few possessions they were able to salvage from the ruins of their former home.

Photo:

Alan Manski/International Rescue Committee