ADRA is responding in Indonesia following an earthquake and tsunami that took the life of thousands.
An estimated 1.5 million people have now been affected by a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake and the devastating tsunami that followed it. More than 1,500 deaths have already been reported and another 2,500 people have reported major injuries. Close to 71,000 have been displaced from their homes.
The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) has deployed emergency response teams to the disaster area to provide rapid aid to the people most affected by this tragedy.
“The devastation is extensive and the situation on the ground is chaotic. Homes were swept away, buildings and shops collapsed, roads buckled and cracked, including a large bridge that was destroyed. The humanitarian situation is also very serious. Thousands of people are sleeping outside fearing strong aftershocks,” said Clinton Rapell, country director for ADRA Indonesia.
In Palu, the hardest-hit town which has a population of more than 380,000 people, the streets were strewn with debris from the tsunami. In addition, the majority of the population remains cut-off from communications, hampering the reporting of victims and emergency assessment. According to initial ADRA reports, the main affected areas in the Central Sulawesi Province include 13 districts in the Donggala Regency (county) and eight districts in Palu City.
ADRA in Indonesia has been coordinating with national and local authorities, other non-profit organizations, and Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders and volunteers.
“Many families are in urgent need of help. They have lost everything, and they are struggling,” said Mario de Oliveira, director for emergency management for ADRA International. “The most urgent needs at this time include baby and children foods, emergency tents and tarpaulins, blankets, clean and potable water, medicines, among other priorities.”
As the response unfolds, ADRA will provide more details.
Your generous donation to ADRA’s emergency fund will help support recovery efforts for those in crisis.
