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Contact: Press Office, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), 202-712-4320; Public Information: 202-712-4810
WASHINGTON, Oct. 14 /Standard Newswire/ -- The U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) airlifted a shipment of emergency supplies to Indonesia on October 10th from it stockpile in Dubai. In coordination with the Indonesian Red Cross, approximately 20,000 internally displaced personnel will benefit from 45 metric tons of emergency relief supplies including 34 pallets of plastic sheeting, 6,720 hygiene kits, 7,200 jerry cans and 6 generators. In addition to these supplies, USAID provided an immediate $300,000 to Mercy Corps for the distribution of emergency relief supplies and also committed nearly $500,000 to the American Red Cross as well as $500,000 to International Medical Corps.
On October 1, U. S. Ambassador Cameron R. Hume issued a disaster declaration in response to the earthquake in Indonesia and coordinated with USAID/OFDA to provide $300,000 through USAID/Indonesia to support emergency response interventions and the distribution of emergency relief supplies. USAID/OFDA also deployed an 11 member Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) of humanitarian specialists to address the acute crisis in Indonesia. The DART is charged with assessing changing humanitarian conditions, identifying priority needs for additional programming, and facilitating humanitarian coordination and information sharing with the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, USAID/Indonesia, Government of Indonesia (GoI), and humanitarian partners.
On September 30, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck approximately 30 miles off the western coast of Sumatra Island in Indonesia, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A magnitude 5.5 aftershock followed the initial earthquake. According to the U.N. Office of Coordination Affairs (OCHA), the earthquakes caused significant infrastructure damage in Padang and Pariaman cities, West Sumatra Province. Following the earthquakes, heavy rains and landslides resulted in additional infrastructure damage and displacement.
On October 1, the GoI declared a state of emergency and has mobilized search and rescue teams and medical staff, and is distributing relief items to affected populations, including blankets, tents, and food items.
For more information about USAID's emergency humanitarian assistance programs, please visit: www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/disaster_assistance/.
