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UN launches $103-million relief appeal for Indonesian quake victims

UN launches $103-million relief appeal for Indonesian quake victims

Victims of the earthquake
The United Nations today launched a $103-million appeal to aid more than 200,000 victims of last week’s earthquake in the Indonesian island of Java, targeting emergency shelter, medical assistance, clean water and sanitation, food and child protection over the next six months.

“Local health facilities continue to be overwhelmed, especially as the population has no homes to which to return,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in announcing the Earthquake Response Plan (ERP).

A dozen UN agencies responsible for areas ranging from health, food and children to development, labour and cultural affairs, are participating with non-government organization (NGO) partners in the relief effort. The Plan also recognizes the need for early recovery efforts beyond emergency relief.

Measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale, the 27 May quake caused the heaviest damage in the Klaten and Bantul region of central Java, killing up to 6,200 fatalities people, according to Government sources. At least 200,000 people have been displaced and more than 50,000 patients have been treated in 31 local hospitals, field hospitals, health centres and mobile clinics.

Nearly 140,000 homes, 269 schools, 302 Government buildings, 284 religious buildings and 50 kilometres of roads and bridges were destroyed or damaged.

A large portion of the 6 million people living in the affected districts were directly affected by the quake, particularly in light of damage to infrastructure and services such as water treatment plants, sewage systems and medical facilities.

The plan, which was jointly prepared by UN agencies, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and NGOs, is based on preliminary assessments and is expected to be revised based on in-depth needs assessments, especially in the early recovery areas, in about three to six weeks.