Indian Ocean Earthquake & Tsunami Emergency Update
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
PACIFIC DISASTER MANAGEMENT INFORMATION NETWORK (PDMIN) 1 Jarrett White Road MCPA-DM, Tripler AMC, HI 96859-5000 Telephone: 808.433.7035 · [email protected] · http://www.coe-dmha.org Indian Ocean Earthquake & Tsunami Emergency Update January 2, 2005 Note: New content has been inserted in red, italicized, bold font. Table of Contents: Overview......................................page 2-3 Indonesia.....................................page 4-10 Sri Lanka......................................page 11-19 Thailand.......................................page 20-30 Overview • As emphasis shifts from search and rescue to relief and recovery, the United Nations reports that the death toll from Sunday’s (December 26) massive tsunamis triggered by an undersea earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale off the west coast of Indonesia’s northern Sumatra Island is approaching 150,000. As of today tsunami related deaths have been reported in 11 countries that include Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Maldives, Bangladesh, Somalia, Tanzania and Kenya. The loss of life has been particularly severe in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. According to the Indonesian Health Ministry, the death toll has now climbed to over 80,000, with the possibility of 100,000 or even more in the northern province of Aceh on the island of Sumatra and along the 115 miles of the islands along Indonesia’s northwestern coast, which is close to the epicenter of the earthquake. WHO estimates 80 percent of Aceh’s west coast has been damaged. The death toll in Sri Lanka and India has also climbed to in excess of 29,000 and 9,000 deaths respectively. India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands, as well as the southern state of Tamil Nadu, have been the worst hit areas. The death toll in Thailand’s resort islands of Phuket and Phi Phi has now climbed to nearly 5,000, including some 2,500 foreigners from at least 36 countries. More than 400 combined deaths have also been reported in Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Maldives, Somalia, Tanzania and Kenya. (Jan-1, AFP, AP, NDM India, Multiple) • The United States has designated Thailand as its hub for search-and-rescue operations for countries in South and Southeast Asia devastated by last Sunday’s (December 26) tsunamis. US interagency and US-UN coordination will occur there. • Indonesia has called for an international donors meeting on January 6 of heads of government/state from some 23 countries, including from the 10 ASEAN nations and China, Japan, South Korea, India, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand and the United States. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, and US Secretary of State Colin Powell will be in attendance, as will many heads of state. The meeting will be chaired by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The meeting will coincide with the UN flash appeal to be launched on January 6. • The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) head Jan Egeland says pledges exceed US$2 billion; Secretary-General Kofi Annan says it may take ten years and cost tens of billion of dollars to reconstruct devastated areas. As the fifth largest pledger, China has promised US$60 million; • European countries led by Germany and France are calling for debt relief for those countries worst affected by last week’s tsunami/earthquake disaster. Paris Club members will reportedly discuss a proposal for a debt moratorium at its meeting on January 12. Indonesia, which owes some US$40 billion to the Club, is likely to benefit the most. Italy has issued a similar appeal to G8 nations. • The United States, India, Australia, Japan and the United Nations have formed an international coalition to coordinate worldwide relief and reconstruction efforts. European Union is expected to join the ‘core group” announced by the US President George W Bush on Wednesday (December 29). Canada has joined and more nations are likely to join the initiative. Note: This report has been compiled from publicly available information. Although information has been gathered from 2 reliable sources the currency and completeness of the information reported herein is subject to change and cannot be guaranteed. Except for Overview section that is rewritten weekly, any changes in the other parts of the report are highlighted in red. Inquiries, updates and comments are welcome and should be directed to PDMIN team at [email protected]. • World Health Organization (WHO) officials in South Asia estimate as many as five million people have been displaced and are at risk across the region. In Indonesia alone an estimated 1 million people are either displaced or homeless. However, at this stage of the crisis the actual extent of both those affected and those displaced remains unclear. Many are in temporary camps or sites close to their homes; the West coast of Indonesia’s Aceh, which was the area closest to the epicenter, has yet to be assessed. • UN experts are warning of possible epidemics within days if health systems are not brought up to speed. According to the UN, water, sanitation, food, shelter and medical teams with supplies are priority sectors to stem any disease outbreaks. Due to the contamination of drinking water sources and stagnant water, the risk of water-borne diseases such as cholera, dysentery, malaria and dengue fever, remains very high. Food and medicine in many areas are in short supply. Health experts at the UN and International Committee of the Red Cross warn of significant number of additional deaths due to possible outbreaks of disease. The risk of malaria is significantly high due to warm temperatures. Sri Lanka is particularly vulnerable to malaria due to the recent monsoon season as standing water provides ideal conditions for mosquito breeding. (Dec-30, UN News Service, PBS, ) • A number of logistical problems are starting to ease. Logjams at Sri Lanka’s Bandaranaike International Airport, near the capital city of Colombo, are disappearing. Shortage of trucks to transport relief supplies, lack of storage facilities and limited capacity of the airport to land relief planes are being addressed. In Indonesia, backlogs at Banda Aceh airport and nearby Medan airport in North Sumatra Province are diminishing. Transportation of relief supplies from the airport is improving and a month’s supply of fuel trucked by IOM has arrived. A shortage of helicopters to transport relief supplies to affected areas that are no longer accessible by road reported in both Sri Lanka and Indonesia has eased in Indonesia with the arrival of a US naval battle group and nearly 20 helicopters. In Thailand, a lack of equipment and supplies to move and store dead bodies has been reported. The government of Singapore has opened up its air and naval bases to countries wanting to send relief supplies to Indonesia following reports that facilities at Indonesia’s Banda Aceh and Medan airports were overstretched. (Dec-31, Xinhua, JP, Radio Australia) • Jan Egeland, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, is likely to request international military forces deploying to respond to the crisis to bring helicopter carriers for Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Maldives; 5 air traffic control units; fixed wing aircraft capable of short take-off and landing; 100 boats/landing craft, cargo aircraft type C-17, C-130; fuel storage and handling units; water treatment units; power generators; 10 base camps with support staff with 20- 80 staff capacity and 200 deployment kits for individuals. • International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has launched a consolidated appeal for US$59 million for the crisis. • German insurance giant Munich Re estimates the cost of damage to buildings and foundations in the affected regions to exceed US$13.6 billion. Note: This report has been compiled from publicly available information. Although information has been gathered from 3 reliable sources the currency and completeness of the information reported herein is subject to change and cannot be guaranteed. Except for Overview section that is rewritten weekly, any changes in the other parts of the report are highlighted in red. Inquiries, updates and comments are welcome and should be directed to PDMIN team at [email protected]. Indonesia The latest official death toll is 80,248, but Indonesian Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari says that the government has given up trying to issue precise figures because the numbers were growing too large and too quickly. Other estimates have the number at 100,000 or higher. Some 1,541 people are missing in Aceh and North Sumatra province, according to the Indonesian Department of Social Affairs. Perhaps 1 million are affected or displaced and in need of immediate relief. The most immediate concerns appear to be helping those who have injuries that have been left untreated and to help survivors battle starvation. The UN warns that starvation, injury and disease are pushing survivors closer to death “every minute.” According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) more than 100,000 people are living in temporary shelters and camps. Officials say that search and rescue is now turning over to relief operations. “ There is very little chance of finding survivors after seven days. We are about to stop the search-and-rescue operations. If you survived the earthquake, you probably were killed by tsunami,” Lamsar Sipahutar, head of Indonesia’s search team said today. Most of the dead come from Aceh province, at the northern end of Sumatra Island, only 93 miles (150 kilometers) from the earthquakes epicenter, with the rest coming from a few areas in adjoining North Sumatra province. Worst hit areas in Aceh include the capital, Banda Aceh, at the very northern tip, and the northwest coast, a stretch of about 155 miles (250 kilometers) southeast from Banda Aceh. The 1999 population for the very northern tip of Sumatra around Banda Aceh was about 500,000.