PACIFIC DISASTER MANAGEMENT INFORMATION NETWORK (PDMIN)
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Indian Ocean Earthquake & Tsunami Emergency Update

 

January 20, 2005

 

Note: New content has been inserted in red, italicized, bold font.

 

 

 

Table of Contents:

 

Overview......................................page 2-7

Indonesia.....................................page 8-18

Sri Lanka......................................page 19-27

Thailand.......................................page 28-34

Overview

 

·      Search and rescue operations for last month’s (December 26) massive tsunamis are largely over. The overall focus of attention is shifting to relief and recovery efforts. The death toll from tsunamis triggered by an undersea earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale off the west coast of Indonesia’s northern Sumatra Island has now risen to over 220,000 people along the coastal areas of some 11 countries in the Indian Ocean. Tsunami-related deaths have been reported in 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. The death toll in Indonesia’s northern province of Aceh on the island of Sumatra and along the 115 miles of the islands along Indonesia’s northwestern coast, which was close to the epicenter of the earthquake, has now climbed to more than 166,000, with tens of thousands people still unaccounted for. The fate of nearly one million people along the western coast of Aceh is slowly being assessed with anecdotal reports of death rates in excess of 50%. WHO estimates 80 percent of Aceh’s west coast has been damaged. UN officials think the number of people dead and affected by the disaster in Indonesia could significantly climb once authorities are able to assess all hard to reach areas. The death toll in Sri Lanka and India has also climbed to in excess of 38,000 and 10,672 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 5,322, including some 1,765 foreigners from at least 36 countries. More than 400 combined deaths have also been reported in Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Maldives, Somalia, Tanzania and Kenya. Preliminary estimates place the cost of damage for Indonesia – US$4.5 billion, Sri Lanka - US$3.5 billion, India - US$2 billion, Thailand - US$235 million and Maldives at US$1.3 billion. The world’s largest reinsurer, Munich Re, estimates the total cost of the disaster to exceed US$13.6 billion.

 

·      Coordination: The United States and a number of other militaries and agencies are operating out of and coordinating at Thailand’s Utapao Royal Thai Air Force Base, about 100 miles south of Bangkok. The US Combined Support Force 536 (CSF 536), Combined Coordination Center (CCC), which is comprised of liaison officers from Australia, UK, Japan, Thailand and Singapore, and a Civil-Military Coordination Cell, are operating. USAID DART representatives are present, as is the UNOCHA coordinator in Thailand. 1,200 US troops are on the ground. Additionally, the US and perhaps others are using the base for transshipment of relief supplies. Work continues on refining the process humanitarian organizations use to request military transport.

 

o      Lieutenant General Robert Blackman, commander of Combined Support Force (CSF 536), said “conditions for transition” have been met in both Thailand and Sri Lanka, while he briefed Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and Commander of US Pacific Command Admiral Thomas Fargo, who were in Utapao (Thailand) on Saturday (Jan-15) for a three-day trip to the region. He said conditions in Indonesia’s Aceh were still challenging, adding that he will be concentrating his efforts more on Indonesia. (Jan-15, DefenseLink)

 

o      Lieutenant General Blackman plans to officially disband CSF-Thailand by January 22, pending concurrence by US Ambassador to Thailand Ralph Boyce. Blackman also plans to phase out CSF-Sri Lanka by January 29.

 

·      Logistics: A number of logistics problems remain despite progress. Thailand is in good shape. In Sri Lanka, transport capacity is improving to move relief supplies. Distribution mechanisms are improving. The need for helicopters is diminishing as more areas becoming accessible by road. In Indonesia, backlogs at Banda Aceh airport and nearby Medan airport are diminishing with increased humanitarian coordination and the opening of airport facilities in neighboring Singapore and Malaysia. Tracking and prioritization systems for humanitarian cargo and military airlift are being developed. Indonesian military (TNI) control of Banda Aceh and Medan airports and control of humanitarian and military access is providing a challenge for relief efforts. UNJLC has teams in Banda Aceh, Medan, Jakarta, and Colombo and liaison officers to work with the US military. Roads are just now opening up to Meulaboh on the west coast of Aceh, but the road south from Banda Aceh will be closed for perhaps a month as TNI effects repairs. (Jan-18, OCHA, US DoD)

 

o      The UN has been using Malaysia’s Subang Airport near the capital Kuala Lumpur as its regional Humanitarian Air Hub (SHAH) since January 7. The SHAH is jointly managed by the WFP, the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) and the UN Joint Logistics Center (UNJLC). The cargo is being airlifted to either Banda Aceh, the provincial capital of Aceh, or Medan, the provincial capital of North Sumatra province, along the east coast. As of January 16, a total of 30 airlifts have left the SHAH. Subang’s current air assets include two C130s and a Casa235, an IL76, an AN12, and an HS-125-700. Subang has all required loading and ground handling equipment to serve Tristars and C17s. There are no problems flying Military and Civil Defense Assets (MCDA) to Subang. UNJLC recommends all international relief flights land in Subang and then further dispatch the cargo by smaller aircraft to Banda Aceh and Medan. (Jan-17, WFP)

 

o      Due to continued congestion at the Banda Aceh airport, UNJLC will begin to ship cargo from Subang (Malaysia). WFP has a total shipping capacity of 10,000 metric tons, some of which it plans to make available to other agencies. (Jan-18, OCHA)

 

o      UNHAS is now operating an HS-125 8-seater passenger aircraft for passenger traffic out of SHAH, for use by UN personnel and other members of the humanitarian community working on tsunami relief. (Jan-18, UNJLC)

 

·      Food: The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates some 2 million people in 12 countries affected by the tsunami disaster are in need of food assistance. FAO says despite local losses, overall food availability in the region should be adequate to cover needs. Recommends local purchases of food, where possible, to meet food aid requirements. The agency is seeking US$26 million to rehabilitate fisheries and agriculture in affected countries. (Jan-11, FAO). UN’s World Food Program (WFP) has already delivered some 9,744 metric tons of food in affected countries. WFP is currently assisting some 1,069,000 people with their food needs in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Myanmar, Thailand and Somalia. WFP says it has so far received US$81.9 million or 32% in response to its US$256 million emergency appeal. (Jan-12, WFP)

 

·      Health/Medical: 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. Jan Egeland, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs says at least 1.6 million people affected by the disaster are in need of food aid. Assessments reports from Aceh’s west coast have yet to come in. WHO says an estimated 500,000 people are believed to have been injured in the tsunami. Officials are warning of a “health disaster” if the survivors are not treated to prevent infection and are not given quick access to clean drinking water. There have been some reports of diarrhea, malaria, pneumonia and skin infections in Indonesia. Ingestion of dirty water from the tsunami has increased the risk of pneumonia. Contamination of drinking water sources and stagnant water have increased the risk of water-borne diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, malaria and dengue fever. With the lack of services in some areas, wounds have quickly become infected. Measles will spread more easily as people’s systems are worn down. Food and medicine in many areas are in short supply. Due to warm temperatures, the risk of malaria, which is endemic to the region, remains high. (Dec-30, UN News Service, PBS) However, so far there have been no reports of disease outbreaks. WHO is encouraging setting up smaller-sized camps for displaced survivors. WHO Director-General Dr. Lee Jong-Wook says smaller camp sizes will lessen the risk of disease outbreaks that can otherwise spread easily when people are packed together.

 

o      The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland says he does not believe as many people will die of disease in the aftermath of the tsunami as earlier feared. Egeland told a press briefing on January 13 that he believed relief efforts could avoid the feared “second wave of death.” WHO officials had earlier warned that as many as 150,000 additional people could die of diseases if immediate precautions are not taken.

 

o      According to WHO, there have been no reports of disease outbreaks anywhere in the region. WHO has begun helicopter-assisted rapid health assessments along the west coast of Indonesia’s Aceh province. Large-scale vaccination campaigns aimed at vaccinating 1.16 million children aged 6 months to 15 years, are underway in Indonesia’s Meulaboh and in North Aceh following sporadic reports of measles. No immunization or malaria control activities have yet been carried out in most remote areas of western Aceh. WHO is also recommending malaria treatment and control measures to be put in place, as well as a strategic plan to support existing health facilities. Daily disease surveillance mechanisms are reportedly very effective in Sri Lanka’s Jaffna. However, disease surveillance mechanisms and reporting need to be strengthened in Trincomalee. Sanitation infrastructure remains unsatisfactory in parts of Sri Lanka, particularly in Ampara. In Thailand, disease surveillance is focused on risks of dengue fever outbreaks following reports of five cases of dengue earlier this week (January 13). Local health officials have already vaccinated children against measles in four hardest-hit Thai provinces. (Jan-15, WHO)

 

o      WFP Executive-Director James Morris says tsunami crisis has made situation from bad to worse for many vulnerable families and children in Sri Lanka’s impoverished north, where some 35% (385,000) of an estimated 1.1 million children under the age of five are malnourished. Morris said in addition to its regular food distribution, WFP will be distributing corn-soya blend to malnourished children, pregnant women and lactating mothers in the areas of highest vulnerability. (Jan-19, AP, OCHA)

 

o      The international medical relief group, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), said its medical teams in different locations in Indonesia’s Aceh are reporting cases of tetanus, a potentially life-threatening disease with a mortality rate as high as 25%. The disease is caused when untreated wounds are infected with the tetanus bacteria. MSF says due to low vaccine coverage among the local population, a series of three tetanus shots will be needed to protect people against the disease for a period of ten years. MSF is urging other organizations to start preventive measures.

 

·      Security: The United Nations has lifted a 24-hour travel ban on its staff for the Banda Aceh-Medan route, which was imposed on Monday (January 17) following reports of clashes between separatist GAM rebels and Indonesian military. A UN security official said the decision to lift the ban had been made after speaking with the police in the coastal city where fighting had been reported. Other aid groups and foreign troops helping with the relief efforts in Aceh say they do not believe that security situation had changed in recent days. (Jan-18, AP, PA)

 

o      UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan says relief workers have had no problems working in Indonesia’s tsunami-ravaged Aceh province despite simmering tensions between the government and rebels. However, he asked the UN staff to be careful. (Jan-17, Reuters)

 

o      Indonesian military claimed to have killed 120 separatist GAM rebels in clashes over the past two weeks, despite an informal cease-fire in the region. (Jan-20, AP, Reuters)

 

o      While visiting the provincial capital of Banda Aceh, Indonesian Vice President Yusuf Kalla said his government was working with GAM rebels for a permanent truce. He did not elaborate if the negotiations had already taken place. (Jan-14, AFP, AP)

 

o      Sri Lankan government has now allowed United Nations officials to visit areas controlled by Liberation Tigers of Tamil (LTTE) rebels, which were devastated by last month’s tsunami, to assess the damage. (Jan-15, AP)

 

·      Political-Military: Admiral Thomas Fargo, the commander of the US Pacific Command, says humanitarian missions in Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and other affected countries have moved from the “immediate relief phase...toward rehabilitation and reconstruction,” adding that effective immediately, the US military will start transferring functions to the appropriate host nations and international organizations. Fargo said the US military would continue to respond to specific requests from affected nations as it scales back its relief operations. (Jan-20, AFP, AP, Reuters)

 

·      Following an annual informal meeting of army chiefs of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said senior Indonesian military officials have assured that troops from friendly ASEAN nations could stay in tsunami-ravaged Aceh province as long as necessary to assist tsunami relief efforts. Razak said, “The important thing is that there is no such imposition as to a specific timetable for our withdrawal from Aceh.” (Jan-17, AP, CNA)

 

o      Indonesian defense officials are saying that the demand by the Indonesian Vice President Yusuf Kalla for foreign troops to leave the country by March 26 was not a deadline, but a benchmark for the Indonesian government to improve and accelerate its relief efforts so that by March 26, the large part of the burden of the relief efforts will be carried by Indonesian government and authorities on the ground. Indonesian defense minister Juwono Sudarsono said: “Foreign military assistance, operations providing relief and rehabilitation, will be allowed to continue, albeit on a reduced scale.” (Jan-16, AFP, AP)

 

o      The US Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz says the US military is eager to begin a transitional phase to hand over its relief operations in countries affected by last month’s tsunami to their respective governments, other militaries, non-governmental organizations and aid agencies. Wolfowitz, who arrived in Indonesia following a tour of tsunami-affected areas in Thailand, says the US government shared the goal of wrapping up its military operations in the country as soon as possible. He said, “we certainly hope that the US military can be handing this off to other people long before [the end of March]”, adding that he hopes the US will not be needed as a military in the region at the same time. Wolfowitz is later scheduled to visit Sri Lanka, which has also been severely affected by the tsunami. Meanwhile, Rear Admiral Victor Guillory, deputy commander of US naval forces assigned to the Combined Support Force 536 (CSF 536) says it is premature to suggest that “Operation Unified Assistance” had peaked. (Jan-15, DefenseLink)

 

o      Singapore’s Defense Minister Teo Chee Hean says Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will wrap up their projects in Indonesia’s Aceh over the next week or so and prepare to hand over to Indonesian authorities, as well as to Singaporean NGOs and other NGOs. He said the overall situation in Aceh is stabilizing and it is time for relief efforts to move from the emergency phase to the reconstruction phase. (Jan-15, CNA)

 

·      International Assistance: Today (Thursday, January 20), an international group of donors known as the Consultative Group on Indonesia pledged US$1.7 billion to help Indonesia fund the reconstruction of its tsunami-stricken Aceh province. The pledges, made at the close of a two-day donor conference, are preliminary and depend on Jakarta's drafting of a plan to rebuild Aceh. Earlier, the Indonesian government had put the cost to rebuild Aceh at more than US$4.5 billion over five years. Donors also pledged an additional US$3.4 billion to help Indonesia balance its budget and fund other programs bringing the total aid package to US$5.1 billion. (Jan-20, FT, JP)

 

o      US congressman Jim Kolbe, chairman of the subcommittee on foreign operations on aid and relief work, said the US administration is likely to make another substantial request to Congress for aid to tsunami-affected countries. Kolbe, who is visiting Indonesia’s worst hit Aceh province, gave assurance that an aid package for the country to rehabilitate from tsunami-related destruction would not affected funding for other aid programs in the country. (Jan-16, AFP)

 

o      Jan Egeland, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said on January 10 that his office was working with international financial experts, including the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, to devise a public tracking system on the Internet that will allow donors to track the progress and utilization of their contributions as they make their way to those in need. (Jan-10, IHT)

 

o      Some 4,000 delegates from over 150 nations are attending a weeklong UN-sponsored World Conference on Disaster Reduction (WCDR) that opened on Tuesday (January 18) in Kobe, Japan. The UN has launched comprehensive plans for a global early warning system aimed at improving resilience to all types of natural hazards ranging from droughts, wildfires and floods, through typhoons, hurricanes and landslides, to volcanic eruptions and tsunamis. (Jan-20, Reuters, UNNS) Jan Egeland, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, says all communities around the world should have access to an early warning system as soon as possible not only for tsunamis that occur relatively infrequently, but also for other natural disasters such as typhoons, hurricanes and drought that occur more frequently. UN has announced it will lead efforts to set up a provisional tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean within 18 months, costing more than US$30 million. (Jan-19, Reuters, AP)

 

·      International Development & Relief Organizations: The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has revised its preliminary appeal for the tsunami crisis from US$59 million to US$155 million, to fund its operations for a six-month period ending June 30, 2005. IFRC says its Revised Preliminary Appeal 28/2004 is funded for US$119 million (77.1%) and would need an additional US$36 million to meet full coverage. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is using Singapore as a regional hub. (Jan-19, IFRC)

 

 

 

Indonesia

 

Organization

 

Overview …………………………………………………………page 9

 

Sectors……………………………………………………………page 10

 

Domestic Response……………………………………………page 14

            Government                                                             

            Local Humanitarian Organizations

 

International Response……………………………………….page 15

            Foreign Governments

            United Nations

            International Humanitarian Organizations

Overview: Admiral Thomas Fargo, Commander of US Pacific Command, said today that the US military would begin scaling back relief operations but will continue to respond to specific requests from affected countries. Fargo said relief work was shifting to reconstruction and it was time to cut back some of the US military operations. “We will start right now transferring functions to the appropriate host nation and international organizations,” Fargo said in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday (Jan-20, Reuters). Other US military leaders say key operations, such as ferrying supplies via helicopter, were expected to be the last to be cut. (Jan-20, Reuters) Indonesia’s Health Ministry yesterday raised the death toll to 166,320. The ministry says the figure was based on the latest reports from Aceh and north Sumatra provinces. The ministry says that the increase came after tens of thousands of people previously listed as missing, were confirmed dead by officials on the ground. The Health Ministry had previously estimated that 95,000 people were killed and said some 77,000 were missing. The Social Affairs Ministry had recently said the death toll was at 114,717, and listed 12,082 missing. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had earlier reportedly ordered the two ministries to come up with a definitive tally. GOI officials also said that Yudhoyono had ordered the body count to stop and to focus on relief efforts. Today, the Consultative Group on Indonesia, made up of some 30 international lenders, had pledged some US$1.7 billion in tsunami aid for 2005, consisting of US$1.2 billion in grants and US$500 million in soft loans. The aid is on top of some US$3.4 billion donors pledged that will mostly go towards reducing the national deficit. (Jan-20, Reuters) GOI had said earlier this week that some US$4.5 billion (Rp42.7 trillion) in losses had been caused by the disaster. The estimate represents some 97 percent of Aceh’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 2.3 percent of the national GDP. During the international ministerial tsunami meeting in Geneva on January 11, several countries pledged some US$900 million for a six-month period to Indonesia. Indonesia had wanted its creditors to freeze some (US$3.3 billion) in debt repayments through 2006, or about a third of its US$8.8 billion in payments over the period. (Jan-14, Reuters)

 

Banda Aceh vicinity: UN figures at least 100 NGOs in Aceh. (Jan-20, Reuters) The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says that floods from seasonal rains have blocked trucks along the route from Medan to Banda Aceh. IOM says it expects rain to be an ongoing concern as January and February were generally the wettest months during Indonesia’s rainy season. Several days of heavy monsoon rains have left many camps swamped with mud and have flooded roads, exacerbating relief efforts. The World Food Program (WFP) says that the agency was distributing 300 tons of rice a day with most people around Banda Aceh equipped with one-month of rations. The Indonesian government reports that 80% of the roads and power infrastructure were destroyed along with virtually all the sanitation capability. Some semblance of normalcy is returning to the city. Around 380 government officials have been imported from Jakarta to get local government affairs restarted; hundreds of police and thousands of TNI have been brought in.

 

West Coast of Aceh Province: The ICRC reports that small pockets of communities have yet to be reached by international assistance. WFP says that long stretches of the coast between Banda Aceh and Meulaboh have been totally destroyed, and that survivors would only be found some 5 to 10 kilometers inland. WFP says helicopters are the only way to reach these isolated communities. The WFP chartered vessel, the M/V Kimtrans, with a 3,000 metric ton capacity, is headed for the west coast. The ship will serve as a floating warehouse off the western coast, with landing craft ferrying food to shore. WHO reports that helicopter-based rapid health assessments continue along the west coast. Remote locations still lack adequate medical facilities as existing ones experienced extensive damage and lack staff, WHO says. The health agency reports that NGOs running mobile clinics and visiting camps have not been able to provide adequate coverage. US military says that it has stepped up aid missions to the west coast from about 30 daily last week to some 80 missions a day currently. Around 22 helicopters are making the daily relief drops. Pilots say medical airlifts have slowed down in the past few days. Pilots also report that thousands of displaced who have been hiding in the hills were now streaming down and setting up temporary camps. The west coast of Aceh had a population of about one million in its six regencies, with about 500,000 in the northern three and 500,000 in the southern three. The largest west coast death toll is in Meulaboh, where some 28,251 people died, the Social Affairs Ministry reports.

 

 

Domestic Response

 

Local Government

 

·       Indonesian President Yudhoyono has ordered the reorganization of the National Coordinating Agency for Disaster Relief and Refugees (Bakornas PBP) led by Vice President Jusuf Kalla (Jan-17, Xinhua). MEKOKESRA will handle international assistance. (Dec-30, US Consulate Medan)

 

• Influx of international aid has prompted local corruption watchdog groups to express fears that aid might not reach where it is needed. Activists have expressed fears that some 30 percent of aid money pledged could be stolen, about the average that is taken each year from the national budget. (Jan-19, AP) Information Minister Sofyan Djalil says the GOI would set up a “credible” oversight scheme to monitor the money. (Jan-17, Reuters) GOI retained the American accounting firm of Ernst &Young to audit foreign aid. (Jan-14, IHT)

 

·       The GOI has a three-phase plan: Emergency measures through January 2005 followed by rehabilitation through February 2006 and reconstruction, also through February 2006. (Dec 30, Indonesian Mission to UN)

 

·       TNI is sending thousands more troops into Aceh to help with the relief effort, bringing the total to 50,000. Troops will focus on humanitarian operations. (Jan-13, AFP) Some 38,000 troops were already in Aceh for military operations against the GAM.

 

·       GOI plans to immediately set up makeshift schools in some 95 locations near camps for the displaced. (Jan-12, Xinhua)

 

·       The Indonesian Government established a joint Disaster Management Centre (DMC) with the United Nations, which will prioritize the management and coordination of relief efforts. UN will assist the government with resources of UNOCHA and UNJLC. (Jan-10, UNOCHA)

 

·       A US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) team under WHO will support the Indonesian Ministry of Health in conducting health facilities assessment. (Jan-9, WHO)

 

·       Indonesian police deployed around 800 officers to Aceh Province to fill the posts of some 450 killed in the disaster. TNI said 517 soldiers were killed in the tsunami.

 

Local Organizations

 

• The Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) sent over 800 trained volunteers to Aceh. PMI Secretary-General is in Medan. PMI has disaster response team in Meulaboh.

 

International Response

 

Foreign Governments

 

·       Afghanistan sending 20 doctors and three tons of supplies, enough for around 5,000 people. (Jan-16, AP).

 

·       Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) assessed the offshore island of Simuelue and will deliver emergency supplies. 900 Australian Defence Force personnel are in Indonesia. Australia is operating out of its old Butterworth airfield near Penang Island in Malaysia.

 

·       Brunei sends team of doctors, nurse, health personnel and volunteers to Banda Aceh.

 

·       China says it will offer assembled mobile buildings to Indonesia for temporary schools and houses. A team of reconstruction experts will leave for Indonesia soon, China’s Ministry of Commerce reports. (Jan-20, Xinhua)

 

·       Egypt is sending medical team and humanitarian aid to Aceh. (Jan-10, Jakarta Post)

 

·       European Commission (EC) contributions from Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Norway, and Portugal.

 

• France sent helicopter carrier Jeanne d’Arc, carrying 11 helicopters and the frigate George Leygues to provide medical aid in Aceh. (Jan 2, AFP)

 

·       German supply/hospital ship Berlin, which also has a field hospital, arrived offshore Banda Aceh.

 

·       Japan A 20-member Japanese medical team arrived in Aceh as an advance team of some 1,000 troops expected to arrive to help set up a hospital and take part in the reconstruction effort. (Jan-16, AP) A C-130 provided by the Japanese Self-Defense Force is transporting relief from UNHCR from Utapao (Thailand) to Medan, daily. (Jan-11, UNJLC)

 

• Malaysia setting up a relief center and a 50-bed hospital. Two more ships with relief supplies leaving for Aceh later this month. (Jan-20, The Star) Malaysia will deploy another 100 military personnel to set up a field hospital. Currently there are some 300 Malaysian police and military personnel in Aceh. (Jan-17, Reuters) Malaysia also plans to set up a relief center that can shelter at least 10,000 displaced. The UN’s World Food Program/UN Joint Logistics Center is using Subang airport, located outside Kuala Lumpur, while Australia is using Butterworth in the northern part of peninsula Malaysia.

 

·       New Zealand has 3 Defense Force medical teams in Banda Aceh, 1 C-130 Hercules cargo plane and crew, and some 30 medical staff in Indonesia.

 

·       Pakistan sent 87 army engineers and paramedics. Personnel are setting up a field hospital.

 

·       Philippines sending medical team to Indonesia. (Jan-13, AFP)

 

·       Russian medical unit arrived on January 11 and is setting up a mobile hospital in Banda Aceh. Troops will eventually number 200. (Jan-14, AP)

 

·       Singapore’s Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean says that most of its 1,000 Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel will be heading home in the next few days and will hand relief duties over to the NGOs. (Jan-20, Channel NewsAsia) The RSS Endeavour arrived in Aceh on January 17, carrying relief supplies and staff from the Singapore Red Cross, Mercy Relief, Touch Community Services, the National Volunteer Philanthropy Centre and YMCA. Ship will provide tents to house some 10,000 people. (Jan-17, Channel NewsAsia) Some 70 troops will remain in Banda Aceh with 3 Chinook helicopters. (Jan-16, ChannelNews Asia) Singapore is ICRC hub for Indonesia relief.

 

·       US Navy spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. John Bernard says that Navy and Marine helicopters have delivered some 3 million pounds of aid as of January 15 and had flown 955 missions. (Jan-16, AP)

 

·       Admiral Thomas Fargo, Commander of US Pacific Command, toured the disaster region and assessed the relief operation. US agreed for the majority of troops to return to ships after each day’s operations. The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group (includes four other ships and some 6,500 sailors and Marines) arrived off Sumatra on January 1. US airlift operations are continuing to be flown out of Utapao base in Thailand.

 

United Nations

 

·       UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has established an office in Aceh and a logistical team in Medan. (Jan-18, UNICEF) UNICEF taking lead in water and sanitation, education and child protection. A rapid assessment in 7 of 11 districts in Aceh reveals 420 schools destroyed and 1,200 teachers killed. UNICEF is looking ahead to establish 600 schools to serve 120,000 children.

 

·       UN Development Programme (UNDP) says 300 displaced in Banda Aceh were hired by the Ministry of Public Works, with the support of UNDP, to help with clean-up. UNDP says program should expand to include some 3,000 people in the coming weeks. (Jan-17, AP)

 

• United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), upon request of GOI, conducted an environmental assessment. UNEP will work with Ministry of Environment to identify key needs.

 

• UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says that it will focus on reviving the livelihood of fishers affected by the disaster. (Jan-19, Jakarta Post)

 

·       UN Human Settlements Program (UN-HABITAT) is preparing emergency and reconstruction proposals.

 

·       UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) using three Swiss Super Puma helicopters that will operate from Medan-Meulaboh, Medan-Banda Aceh and Banda Aceh–Meulaboh. (Jan-14, Reuters)

 

• World Food Program (WFP) has a total of 4 offices in Aceh and North Sumatra provinces; WFP’s new Humanitarian Air Hub, operating out of Subang airport in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, began operations on January 9. WFP base camp jointly run by UNOCHA in Banda Aceh.

 

·      World Health Organization (WHO) is appealing for US$60 million to address public health needs. WHO organizing 50 international health groups in Aceh to provide medical care.

 

International Humanitarian Relief Organizations

 

·       Food for the Hungry International (FHI) begins test distributions of food in Aceh. Larger distribution to follow. (Jan-20, FHI)

 

·       The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) 100-bed field hospital opened in Banda Aceh earlier this week. (Jan-19, ICRC) ICRC sent its first shipment of 160 tons of relief goods for some 40,000 people to Banda Aceh. ICRC says it has enough goods for 300,000 people. (Jan-9, Channelnews Asia)

 

·       Field Assessment and Coordination Teams (FACT) from the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) officially terminated its assignment on January 15, and a revised operational structure is being finalized.

 

·       The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says that road convoys have so far brought some 2,300 tons of relief supplies into Banda Aceh and 600 tons into Meulaboh, since December 30. (Jan-19, AFP) IOM has GOI Ministry of People’s Welfare (MENKOKESRA) blessing to organize in-land transportation of aid. (Jan-13, IOM) IOM is assisting displaced leaving Aceh for Medan and Jakarta. IOM has some 150 trucks shuttling between Medan and Banda Aceh. IOM technical team is based in Jakarta’s Halim military airport. (Jan-5, UNOCHA)

 

• Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is working in Banda Aceh, Meulaboh, Medan, Lamno and Lampe-Ngo assisting roughly 100,000 people. (Jan-12, MSF). MSF sent more than 60 international staff and 120 tons of relief to Indonesia.

 

• Mercy Corps (MC) says it has deployed over 50 staff, including to Banda Aceh and surrounding villages. (Jan-19, Mercy Corps) MC established an office in Meulaboh. (Jan-9, USAID)

 

• Oxfam has an operational base in Banda Aceh, logistics base in Medan, and a program base in Meulaboh. (Jan-19, Oxfam). Oxfam is working water and sanitation issues in Banda Aceh, Aceh Besar Province, and the town of Meulaboh on the west coast.

 

• Red Cross Society of China sent cargo plane carrying US$1.3 million dollars in relief to Indonesia’s Batam Island. (Jan-19, Xinhua)

 

·       World Bank says it will provide US$300 million in initial financial support for Indonesia. (Jan-14, AlertNet)

 

• World Vision International (WVI) sent 125 tons of relief aid from the US and Canada. WVI has a relief base in Banda Aceh staffed with 30 workers. (Jan-10, WVI) World Vision Indonesia started aid distribution in Aceh on January 4. (Jan-6, WV)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sri Lanka

 

 

Overview. …………………………………………………page 20

 

Sectors…………………………………………………….page 20

 

Domestic Response…………………………………….page 23

            Government

            Local Humanitarian Organizations

 

International Response…………………………………page 23

            Foreign Governments

            United Nations

            International Humanitarian Organizations

Overview: The death toll from the December 26 tsunami is in the 30,000s. The Center for National Operations reports 30,920, while the Public Security Ministry reports 38,195. Numbers are expected to rise further as operations continue to clear rubble. About 6,300 are still missing from the14 tsunami-affected districts (out of Sri Lanka’s 25 districts). The Number of displaced at 430,000 continues to drop. About 220,000 are in camps, which now number less than 400. Emergency coordinators believe aid is reaching all survivors.

 

President Chandrika Kumaratunga says reconstruction is a priority. The government of Sri Lanka announced a US$3.5 billion reconstruction plan, which includes about sixty towns, physical infrastructure such as roads, small cash grants to those affected and forgiveness of fees for utilities and schools. As a sign of returning normalcy, the British government relaxed its travel warning as some resorts and hotels reopen.

 

With Sri Lanka focusing on reconstruction, rescue and relief military support from numerous nations is being scaled back. Great Britain will have units out in the next three days and the US will send several supply ships to the Maldives, leaving one ship for Sri Lanka with about 700 troops to continue road and building clean up.

 

Following a meeting between GoSL officials and local Tamil leaders, tensions stemming from the distribution of aid to Tamil tsunami survivors in Ampara district have eased. President Kamaratunga directed vehicles and supplies be dispatched to LTTE areas. Earlier tensions were exacerbated when the GoSL did not allow UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to visit Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) -controlled areas during his trip to Sri Lanka. Norway brings in a number of its diplomats to attempt to restart the peace process.

 

International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates moderate impact on economy: Drop in Gross Domestic Product growth (GDP) from 5% to 4%; rise in inflation from 12% to 14%; and a trade deficit increase of US$400 million. A significant rise in unemployment is expected with the rate doubling to 20% in affected provinces.

 

Sector Status
Affected Population	430,000 remain internally displaced with numbers decreasing; about 220,000 in camps or public buildings as many return to damaged homes or move in with family. World Food Program (WFP) director, James T. Morris, said that the number of people who need food aid might rise from the current 750,000 to 850,000. (Jan-17, AFP)
Coordination	The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) established the Center for National Operations (CNO) under the direct authority of the Prime Minister. CNO serves as focal point for the coordination of relief work, including coordination of line ministries, and all provincial and governmental bodies. Center also provides links to sectoral ministries and serves as the interface between the government, NGOs, and the UN.   Information is compiled and disseminated through the government website (http://www.cnosrilanka.org). The GoSL also set up a Task Force for Logistics and Law and Order, which will set up a tracking system for all relief goods. The Disaster Relief Network (DRN) set up operations at the airport in Colombo and signed an agreement with the Government of Sri Lanka to receive all incoming relief commodities. All assistance at the district level is being coordinated by GoSL agents supported by UN interagency teams deployed to affected areas.   The UN is working closely with the government, coordinating sector by sector.   Under the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society plan, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) coordinats Red Cross activities in the north and east LTTE areas while the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) coordinats elsewhere.
Logistics	There is a UN On-Site Operations Coordination Centre (OSOCC) and UN Joint Logistics Center (UNJLC) presence in the capital Colombo. UNJLC runs the Logistics Operations Center, which include civilian loads and military lift.   IOM providing transportation and logistical support to Ministry of Health to transport medical supplies and other cargo. Congestion reported in Colombo port from increase in naval relief vessels. (Jan-14, UN OCHA) Backlogs at the airport have largely been cleared. Humanitarian supplies trucked south to Galle. Most remote areas are now accessible by road. The need for helicopter delivery is greatly diminished.
Food	WFP distributed 15-day food rations to 750,000 beneficiaries; WFP is now working on delivery for the next 15-day period using 50 trucks. WFP expects to deliver food for six months. WFP has sub-offices in Galle, Ampara, Trincomalee, Mullaithivu and Batticaloa, and is established a sub-office in the northern LTTE-controlled city of Jaffna. WFP director James Morris is confident food aid is reaching most people in need. (Jan-16, WHO)   Ration cards will be distributed nationwide to facilitate even distribution of supplies. The GoSL announced a relief package including food and other essential items worth Rs 375 (US$3.72) per person per week to be distributed among displaced people through the Ministry of Relief, Rehabilitation, and Reconciliation. (Jan-16, CNO)   UN says 80% of fishing fleet was destroyed, and 10 of 12 key fishing harbors inoperative. Fish provide half the animal protein in Sri Lanka.
Water and Sanitation	WHO, UNICEF, and Oxfam working water and sanitation relief and plan. WHO leads water quality monitoring. In Batticaloa and Ampara di