Indonesian earthquake - how the UK is responding

09 October 2009

Latest update: 9 October 2009

Situation report 9 October - Headlines

Secretary of State for International Development, Douglas Alexander MP, urges the public to 'give what they can' to the DEC appeal for Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam.

In Indonesia, the reported number of severely damaged houses has increased overnight by almost 20,000 to 121,679. A further 167,977 houses are listed as having sustained slight to moderate damage, according to the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

There are concerns that up to 1 million people have self settled in local communities or have established temporary shelters in front of damaged buildings. In many instances, affected families are building make-shift shelters on their pre-existing plots. Many of these structures are inadequate and provide insufficient protection.

DFID humanitarian emergency experts remain on the ground in Padang, and are continuing to work closely with the Government of Indonesia, international NGOs and local partners, to identfy and address priority needs and to allocate funds.

For more details, download the latest situation report (9 Oct) [Word doc, 90kb]

8 October 2009

UK gives £3m to aid recovery effort following Indonesian earthquake

Douglas Alexander today increased the UK Government’s support to survivors of last week’s devastating earthquake in Sumatra, Indonesia, to £3m.

He confirmed that the extra funding will be given to agencies on the ground to provide first aid, shelter, drinking water and emergency latrines to families in the Padang area as well as to help protect Indonesia against future disasters.

Following requests from district governments in the Padang area, DFID has also agreed that the World Bank can reallocate US$1.1m from an existing DFID project to help those districts rebuild damaged infrastructure in the earthquake-stricken areas.

Today’s increase in funding adds to previous announcements of £500,000 support for the Red Cross in Sumatra and the deployment of a 63 strong UK Search and Rescue team to Padang as part of the search and rescue operation, delivery of emergency shelter and 2 million water purification tablets.

DFID is also giving £500,000 to the Philippines as part of the disaster recovery effort following Typhoon Ketsana which left at least 250 people dead and hundreds of thousands homeless.

Read the full press release

6 October 2009 [18:00 GMT]

The UK's Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) has launched an appeal for donations from the public, to help people affected by the earthquake in Indonesia and the typhoon that has struck the Phillippines and Vietnam.

For more information and to find out how to donate, visit: www.dec.org.uk

In Indonesia, the DFID-supported UK Fire Service Search and Rescue team has now left the region and is en route back to the UK, via Singapore. The DFID Humanitarian Assessment Team remains in place in Padang and is continuing to meet with donors, international aid agencies and partners in the field, to assess and respond to the immediate needs of people affected by the earthquake.

For more information, download the latest DFID situation report [MS Word doc; 90kb]

05 October 2009 [18:30 GMT]

DFID’s Search and Rescue and Humanitarian Assessment Teams have now ceased search and rescue work. This in accordance with the announcement by Indonesian authorities earlier today that there is now little chance of finding further survivors. The teams remain in place in Padang, and are now carrying out structural survey work on two large buildings including a school, whilst plans are made for their return to the UK.

DFID is in discussion with various NGOs regarding the potential donation of the large Search and Rescue tents and generators, ahead of the UK team departure, for use as storage space.

Distribution of relief items supplied by DFID (including plastic sheeting and water purification tablets) is ongoing.

The team will continue tomorrow to meet with key partners including NGOs, the UN, Red Cross and donors, as well as local authorities. Key activities will include assessing likely funding plans of other donors and investigating the need and appropriateness of shelter solutions.

For more information, download the latest Situation Report [MS Word doc, 90kb]

04 October 2009 [17:30 GMT]

The UK Government announced this afternoon that it would give £500,000 to the Red Cross and Red Crescent appeal in Indonesia - helping to provide first aid, shelter, drinking water and emergency latrines to over 5,000 families affected by the earthquake.

UK search and rescue teams have been working, under UN co-ordination, in two previously unreached locations outside Padang since 8am this morning local time.

They have been searching for survivors, caring for the injured (with a specialist trauma team) and providing other vital support to the overall rescue operation such as advising on recovery and providing information to the local authorities.

From first light tomorrow (c 6am local time), when the operation continues, it is expected that one of the UK teams will focus on reaching people who have been cut off by a landslide.

In addition to search and rescue, the Department for International Development's (DFID) humanitarian team is assessing urgent needs for the recovery phase and has delivered supplies of desperately needed shelter materials and water purification tablets which will be distributed to those most in need by Save The Children.

Download the latest situation report [MS Word doc, 90kb]

For further information please contact the DFID Press Office on 020 7023 0600.

04 October 2009 [09:30 GMT]

The RAF plane carrying 63 search and rescue personnel, a DFID assessment team and humanitarian supplies landed in Padang at about 2.30am local time.

A DFID spokesperson said:

"UK search and rescue teams have been working in three separate locations coordinating with their Australian counterparts and the UN.

“They are undertaking vital work in the city of Padang and in the outlying areas to the north of the city which have been severely affected by mudslides.

The humanitarian supplies that were also being carried are now in the pipeline to be distributed by the Save the Children Fund to those most in need.”

03 October 2009 [18:00 GMT]

Latest details on DFID's response to the earthquake in Padang, Indonesia

An RAF/DFID aid flight departed RAF Brize Norton on Saturday 3 October at 0345. It is scheduled to arrive in Padang, Sumatra at 0245 local time.

On the flight are:

a 63 strong UK search and rescue team (including 2 dogs), plus a DFID liaison officer, and search and rescue equipment
a 2-person DFID humanitarian assessment team and a Shelter expert for the aid agency Care.
386 shelter kits and 2 million water purification tablets to be consigned to Save the Children on arrival in Padang

A member of DFID's Jakarta-based Indonesia team will arrive in Padang today to meet the aircraft and liaise between our team and the Indonesian authorities.

A second DFID assessment team has arrived in Jakarta for immediate consultations with the Indonesian authorities, donors and the UN and will then move quickly to join our other team on the ground in Padang.

A DFID Humanitarian Adviser is already in Padang as part of the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) System, to which DFID is a contributor.

DFID's humanitarian operations team in London has been monitoring and supporting the response since the initial earthquake. They are gathering information and managing the UK Government’s response.

DFID provides core funding to many aid agencies, including for example Map Action. One staff member from Map Action has just arrived in Padang and is co-located with the UNDAC team at the Governor’s office.

We are continuing to gather information about the situation and are awaiting appeals from the Red Cross and UN Humanitarian Coordinator.

Download the latest situation report [MS Word doc, 70kb]

03 October 2009 [09:00 GMT]

UK sends specialist search and rescue team to Indonesia

A team of UK search and rescue experts is being sent to Indonesia by the Department for International Development (DFID) to help survivors of the Padang earthquake.

An RAF C17 plane carrying 65 search and rescue experts and specialised equipment needed to help locate victims of the earthquake took off at 03:45 GMT this morning (Saturday). It is expected to arrive in Padang later tonight.

The search and rescue team is comprised of UK firefighters trained in emergency search and rescue techniques. They will work with the Government of Indonesia to help with life saving and recovery.

More details

01 October 2009

UK aid announced for disasters in Indonesia and Samoa

UK Secretary of State for International Development, Douglas Alexander MP, today annouced UK support for Indonesia and Samoa, both of which have been struck by large-scale natural disasters.

Humanitarian experts from DFID are travelling to Indonesia tomorrow, Friday 2 October 2009, to assess the scale of the damage caused by the recent earthquake.

Working closely with other international relief organisations and the government of Indonesia, they will help organise the combined relief effort and assess what additional international support is needed.

In relation to Samoa, DFID will give £100,000 in emergency aid, as part of the coordinated international aid effort to help the Samoan Red Cross Society (SRCS) address the immediate effects of the tsunami.

More details

Last updated: 05 Oct 2009

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