Contact: Jeremy Barnicle, 503-367-7738

-- Mercy Corps improving local evacuation and emergency response plans

-- Coastal town of Padang Pariaman high-risk area for future natural disasters

PORTLAND, Ore. - As the two-year anniversary of the December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami approaches, Mercy Corps is helping Indonesian communities in high-risk areas prepare for future natural disasters. On December 26th, Mercy Corps will work with local organizations and government officials to conduct a community-wide tsunami drill in the coastal town of Padang Pariaman, on the island of Sumatra.

The drill is one component of Mercy Corps' greater efforts to "build back better," as former President Bill Clinton, the UN Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery, has advocated - a mandate shared by the central Indonesian government and its Aceh-Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (BRR). The goal of the preparedness drill is to improve evacuation and emergency response plans and minimize loss of life from natural disasters.

"Sumatra is the most active seismic and volcanic region in the world, and is geographically prone to natural disasters of all kinds," said Craig Redmond, Mercy Corps' country director for Indonesia. "By improving local capacity to respond to future disasters, we equip families and local officials with tools to stay safe."

The tsunami drill is a joint effort among Mercy Corps, its Indonesian partner KOGAMI and the Padang Pariaman government to train local officials on disaster preparedness planning and disseminate response plans community-wide so people can identify risks and prepare to respond to them. The project is part of a larger, Gates Foundation-funded multi-agency program to build the capacity of organizations and communities to respond to emergencies.

West Sumatra is situated along the same coastal fault line as Aceh, the hardest-hit region of the 2004 tsunami. The area is very poor - more than 12 percent of the population lives below the poverty line - and has received very little international support for emergency preparedness, despite the geographical risks.

The event on the 26th will be the second drill Mercy Corps has conducted in West Sumatra. While this training focuses on tsunamis, the model of community awareness-building and preparedness activities applies in the event of any natural disaster.

"Without preparation, vulnerable communities such as Padang Pariaman face tough odds in a natural disaster," Redmond noted. "If we can mitigate the factors that we can control, communities will be stronger, safer and ultimately more secure."

Throughout the tsunami-affected region, Mercy Corps is answering President Clinton's call to "build back better," having helped more than 1 million people strengthen their local economies, livelihoods and communities. Here are a few examples of Mercy Corps' work in the region:

In Indonesia, Mercy Corps has helped over 1,000 farmers restore, replant and harvest over 300 hectares of rice fields. The agency has assisted over 100 micro and small businesses to develop business plans, and guaranteed 83 loans creating or sustaining over 330 jobs.

* In Sri Lanka, Mercy Corps is focusing on rebuilding communities and livelihoods, while also working to address local sources of tension. Mercy Corps currently supports community development activities in 37 communities benefiting 75,000 people.

* In Somalia, Mercy Corps has completed the rehabilitation of over 60 kilometers of roads in the coastal city of Puntland, benefiting over 8,700 people.

* In India, Mercy Corps partnered with two local organizations to reach over 44,000 people with emergency relief and longer-term development to affected villages, focusing on agricultural rehabilitation and community-identified improvement projects.

At President Clinton's request, Mercy Corps joined the American Red Cross and several other organizations to conduct an industry study earlier this year examining accountability, coordination, human rights, capacity building and professionalism in the tsunami response and recovery. As a result, participating groups endorsed several recommendations and commitments to improving partnerships, assuring quality, and supporting informed and responsible giving.

"I have seen very many examples of deep engagement with local communities, but I also have seen recovery efforts that missed that critical element," Clinton said this spring. "I am grateful that Mercy Corps and the American Red Cross have offered to convene the working group."

For more information on Mercy Corps' tsunami response, visit: www.mercycorps.org/topics/tsunami

Mercy Corps works amid disasters, conflicts, chronic poverty and instability to unleash the potential of people who can win against impossible odds. Since 1979, Mercy Corps has provided $1 billion in assistance to people in 82 nations. Supported by headquarters offices in North America, Europe, and Asia, the agency's unified global programs employ over 3,000 staff worldwide and reach nearly 10 million people in more than 35 countries. Over the last five years, more than 90 percent of the agency's resources have been allocated directly to programs that help people in need. For more information, visit

www.mercycorps.org.

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