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 1, 2005 Note: New content has been inserted in red, italicized, bold font. Table of Contents: Overview......................................page 2-3 Indonesia.....................................page 4-8 Sri Lanka......................................page 9-17 Thailand.......................................page 18-33 Overview • 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 nearly 80,000, with 1,240 missing 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 28,508 and 8,955 deaths respectively. India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands, as well as the southern state of Tamil Nadu, have been the worst hit areas where nearly 4,000 people are still reportedly missing. The death toll in Thailand’s resort islands of Phuket and Phi Phi has now climbed over 4,812, including more than 2,000 foreigners from some 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) • 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. • Indonesia has called for an international donor 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. Special envoys of the UN Secretary General, and officials from the World Bank, the World Health Organization, the Asian Development Bank and the European Union will also attend the meeting to be chaired by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The meeting will coincide with the UN flash appeal to be launched on January 6. • The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said today (December 31) that it is immediately making US$325 million available to Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Maldives to recover from the crisis. • 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). More nations are likely to join the initiative. • The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that as of yesterday (December 31), over US$800 million (US$814,449,161 to be exact) had been 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]. pledged by nations around the globe. Japan and the United States have announced significant increases in their contributions. Japan has increased its contribution from US$30 million to US$500 million and the US has increased its contribution from US$35 million to US$350 million. The new pledges by Japan and US now bring the overall international contribution and pledges to in excess of US$1.5 billion. (Reliefweb, AFP, AP, CNN) • 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 displacement remains unclear, particularly in case of affected island groups where people may not have many options to move elsewhere. The full extent of displacement will not be known until field assessments have been completed. • UN experts are warning of possible epidemics within days if health systems were not brought up to speed. According to the UN, water, sanitation, food, shelter and health are priority sectors to stem any disease outbreaks. Due to the contamination of drinking water sources, the risk of water-borne diseases such as cholera, dysentery, malaria and dengue fever, remains very high. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), between 3 and 5 million affected people do not have access to clean water, adequate shelter, food, sanitation and healthcare. 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. WHO is seeking US$40 million to address the issue. 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. Mosquito nets, malaria medicines, spraying of stagnant pools of water with insecticide as well as provision of water purification tablets to people can help stem some of the water-borne diseases. (Dec-30, UN News Service, PBS, ) • A number of logistical problems have been reported. Logjams have been reported at Sri Lanka’s Bandaranaike International Airport near the capital city of Colombo. Shortage of trucks to transport relief supplies, lack of storage facilities and limited capacity of the airport to land relief planes have been reported. In Indonesia, only international military planes are allowed to fly in humanitarian relief supplies to the airport in Banda Aceh. Transportation of relief supplies from the airport continues to a problem and widespread shortage of gasoline has also been reported. In Aceh, the local government has collapsed and coordination mechanisms do not appear to be in place. Some of the problems are likely to ease in Banada Aceh following today’s visit by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang, who ordered the Indonesian military to accelerate aid delivery across Aceh. A shortage of helicopters to transport relief supplies to affected areas that are no longer accessible by road has also been reported in both Sri Lanka and Indonesia. In Thailand, the 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- 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]. 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. • Country representatives from United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in affected countries are working with other UN agencies to coordinate their relief efforts and to assess food situation. FAO is carrying out food/crop assessments in Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia in conjunction with the government’s of those countries. • International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has launched a consolidated 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 4 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].