As Indonesia's Floodwaters Surge, Mercy Corps Rushes Aid to Survivors
Source: Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps
Website: http://www.mercycorps.org
Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for the content of this article or for any external internet sites. The views expressed are the author's alone.
Contact: Eric Block 206-321-4957
February 6, 2007
-- Agency distributes emergency supplies to 6,000 people; more help planned in coming days
Jakarta, Indonesia - Indonesia's worst flooding in recent memory has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes, and has killed at least 44 people. Floodwaters up to 13 feet deep have submerged as much as 50 percent of Indonesia's capital city, and most of Jakarta's 12 million residents lack electricity and access to clean water. The global humanitarian agency Mercy Corps has rushed emergency supplies - including water purification packets, soap, and towels - to 6,000 affected individuals in the past two days. Tomorrow, Mercy Corps will distribute more hygiene kits benefiting another 1,000 people.
Jakarta is home to Mercy Corps' main Indonesian country office, making the agency well-positioned to respond to emerging needs. The agency's staff on the ground report dire needs, particularly among those living near the rising rivers. Aid workers are particularly concerned about the high potential for epidemic disease, including dysentery and rat-borne illnesses, from the consumption and usage of contaminated water.
"I visited several abandoned buildings that are each housing handfuls of displaced families right now," said Lynn Renken, Mercy Corps' Director of Programs in Indonesia, who was reached earlier today for an update. "There were as many as 70 people living in a vacant house, and most were sleeping outside on cardboard. They expressed urgent needs for dry clothes, towels, blankets and hygiene supplies."
Mercy Corps has also assisted four public kitchens in South and Central Jakarta with oil, cooking and eating utensils, stoves, gas, water storage and tarps. Each public kitchen currently serves an estimated 2,400 people per day.
In the immediate future, the agency plans to expand its response to provide necessities such as blankets, plastic sleeping mats, clothes, water, food and related supplies.
Mercy Corps has worked in Indonesia since 1998. In recent years, the agency has helped more than 1,000,000 Indonesians recover from the Indian Ocean tsunami and the Java earthquake, and operated innovative programs that help families find ways out of extreme poverty. Mercy Corps has more than 200 staff throughout the country and maintains strategic partnerships with dozens of local organizations.
HOW TO HELP
Mercy Corps is accepting donations to aid survivors of the Jakarta floods:
Online: www.mercycorps.org
Phone: 1-800-852-2100
Mail: Mercy Corps, Jakarta Flooding, Dept NR, PO Box 2669, Portland OR 97208
Mercy Corps works amid disasters, conflicts, chronic poverty and instability to unleash the potential of people who can win against nearly impossible odds. Since 1979, Mercy Corps has provided more than $1 billion in assistance to people in 94 nations. Supported by headquarters offices in North America, Europe, and Asia, the agency's unified global programs employ nearly 3,200 staff worldwide and reach more than 13.5 million people in nearly 40 countries. Over the past 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.
# # #
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
