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Indonesia, Maldives, Sri Lanka: Earthquake and Tsunami OCHA Situation Report No. 12

Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Date: 5 Jan 2005

Ref: OCHA/GVA - 2005/0004
OCHA Situation Report No. 12
Earthquake and Tsunami
Indonesia, Maldives, Sri Lanka

• Ms. Margareta Wahlstrom, the Special Coordinator for Humanitarian Assistance to Tsunami affected communities is in Indonesia.
  
• The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, will be attending a special ASEAN leaders' meeting on the aftermath of the earthquake and the tsunami and will be launching a consolidated UN Flash Appeal for the immediate relief of the victims in Jakarta on 6 January 2005.
  
• As of 4 January 2005, USD 2 billion has been reported as pledged or committed contributions and loans for the victims for the tsunami-affected communities.
  
• The United Nations Joint Logistics Center (UNJLC) is providing an overview of air operations for this disaster, particularly for Indonesia, Maldives and Sri Lanka. The latest report is available at its website: http://www.unjlc.org/content/index.phtml/itemId/5478

Situation

The report from the Department of Health mentions that the death toll in both Aceh and Northern Sumatra stands at 94,200. Around 400,000 people are sheltering in tents or scattered refugee camps.

The main road between Medan to Meulaboh is open for trucks, motorcycles, cars and other land transportation, but a security assessment is required as the situation is uncertain.

The ports of Banda Aceh, Meulaboh (West Coast), Sabang (Weh Isaland) and Lhoknga are not accessible. The ports of Belawan (Medan) and Lhokseumawe (east Aceh province) are the nearest operational ports unaffected by the Tsunamis.

The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that cases of pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria and skin infections are being observed along with some cases of gangrene due to polluted water and inadequate medical treatment.

Requirements

The National Coordination Board for Disaster Management (Bakornas) stated that the following items are urgently needed: oxygen, baby food, medical teams and supplies including suction equipment, bronchoscopes, minor surgery sets, anti tetanus and measles vaccines, as well as emergency tents, health post establishments, women’s sanitary kits, generator sets, and communication items such as radios.

Key coordination mechanisms

The Joint Logistics Centre has been established to coordinate transport of relief goods and personnel, using transport assets provided by the military from the Government of Australia, India, Malaysia, Singapore and the USA. Agencies wishing to transport goods/personnel by air, please visit the JLC website: http://www.unjlc.org, obtain a movement request form, fill in the form and send it to: airaceh@unjlc.org. The JLC will negotiate space for relief cargos and personnel according to the priorities set by the United Nations Disaster Management Team. Currently, priority is given to: water supply; medicines; shelter and food.

An IOM technical team is now based at Jakarta's Halim military airport to facilitate the loading of materials flooding in from governments, international organizations, NGOs and other donors.

UN response

United Nations Children’s Fund

UNICEF has set up a Child Friendly Centre for the registration of unaccompanied children, provision of psychological support and limited accommodation of children in need. This effort is in response to the media report that there have been cases of child trafficking.

United Nations Joint Logistics Center

The Disaster Resource Network (DRN) will be providing logistics management support at Banda Aceh airport within a few days. An Australian military air traffic control team is planned to deploy to Banda Aceh. UNJLC is currently coordinating the Australian C130 flights from Medan into Banda Aceh.

United Nations Population Fund

UNFPA has currently four staff in Aceh and is conducting assessment of reproductive health needs. UNFPA has reproductive health kits ready to be transported from Jakarta.

World Food Programme

WFP began loading 300 MT of rice into 15 trucks in Medan, to be driven to Banda Aceh. In addition, two trucks loaded with 11 MT of biscuits and 10 MT of water left Medan for the port of Singkil on the western coast of North Sumatra, from where it will be dispatched on board an Australian ferry in cooperation with WFP’s corporate partner TNT. WFP currently has a total of 2,200 tons of food positioned in Medan to be trucked to Banda Aceh and will receive another 12,500 tons of rice

World Health Organisation

WHO and UNICEF staff are establishing a base in Banda Aceh. Housing and one warehouse are in place. Two logisticians from headquarters have arrived and three more are en route. Ten New Emergency Health Kits (NEHK) arrived to meet basic health needs in crises situations for a total of 100,000 people for three months.

International Humanitarian Partnership

The IHP is establishing a camp and office as a base of operation for the UN.

MALDIVES

Situation

As reported the latest figures are as:

Number of deaths: 82

Number of people missing: 26

Number of people displaced: 21,663

Electricity: On 5 January 2005,the State Electric Company reported that it has restored electricity to all but 5 of the islands that lost power supplied due to the tsunami.

Logistics: The Government reported that six regional centres have been established to aid food distribution in the atolls and some centres are already active.

Requirements

No longer needed: tents, jerry cans.

On hold: food, experts/ teams, and medication

Still needed: family toiletry sets, family kitchen sets, water making equipment, water harvesting equipment, water storage equipment.

Please contact the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator for daily updated requirements and quantities (see below)

Constraints

• Lack of equipment and machinery to clear up debris so that reconstruction of islands can begin. Population dispersion over 200 islands scattered over 900 kms which means that even small quantities of aid have to be transported to every island by either boat, sea plane or helicopter.
  
• On most islands, access is designed for small boats, thereby restricting the amounts of supplies and equipment that can be delivered at any one time.
  
• Inclement weather (as in the past two days) restricts travel by boat and plane and hampers delivery of aid.
  
• Small groups of residents remain on heavily damaged islands to look for and protect valuables and properties.
  
• As a result of the above the country and its people remain vulnerable to continuing effects of the disaster.

In order to ensure that appropriate aid and quantities are sent to the country, please consult with the Government’s Crisis Task Force through the Ministry of Foreign Affair’s Department of External Resources: der@foreign.gov.mv.

Field Office contact: Aishath Jeelaan, Communications Officer, United Nations Resident Coordinator System, Tel: (960) 324501 ext. 227, mob: (960) 787 987.

UN response

United Nations Children’s Fund

At the request of the Government, UNICEF has procured the following materials, which will reach the Maldives in the next few days: 1,430 basic family water kits, 50 water tanks, 260 weighing scale for mother & child, 100 bacteriological testing kits, 20 conductivity meter, 400 school-in-a box kits, 80 recreational kits, 1 cold chain walk-in room. UNICEF has provided 1,728 liters of water (2 liter bottles) received from DFID to the Government for distribution to the families in need.

United Nations Population Fund

Immediate action by UNFPA includes contribution of water, sanitation and hygiene supplies such as sanitary napkins, toothpaste, toothbrushes, towels and clothing to the displaced population. Emergency supplies including clean delivery kits, clinical delivery equipment and materials for safe blood transfusions have been procured. UNFPA is assisting the Government and NGOs in providing psychosocial support services to the most affected women, girls and children. UNFPA is supporting the Ministry of Health and working with the other UN agencies to assess the impact of the disaster and to help develop a comprehensive plan for relief and rehabilitation.

World Food Programme

A WFP aircraft with biscuits is expected to arrive on 6 and 7 January. WFP is assessing the more accurate food needs in the country and has launched an immediate response that includes 100 metric tons of high energy biscuits and is airlifting them into Male. WFP has also been providing airlift of non-food items to other UN agencies. A WFP VAM mission has arrived in the Maldives on 4 January and is conducting currently short and medium term assessments.

World Health Organisation

WHO is undertaking disease surveillance and response particularly with respect to tracking patterns of life-threatening diseases and establishing an early warning system. WHO is also ensuring access to essential health care to all those affected by the tragedy and helping to coordinate medical supplies to ensure that supply chains are working and that medicines are reaching where they are needed. Two engineers from WHO arrived on 31 December 2004, and have been coordinating closely with UNICEF and the Government in conducting situation assessments and responding needs in various affected islands. 5 NEHKs and 10 surgical kits arrived on 4 January and have been handed over to the clearing and distributing agent of the Government. 100,000 sets of Oral Rehydration Salt (ORS) arrived on 3 January 2005.

SRI LANKA

Situation

District Secretaries reported the following figures:

Number of deaths: 30,240

Number of people missing: 3,858

Number of people displaced: 835,028

Number houses destroyed: 88,022

Requirements

Dry food, water and sanitation, temporary latrines, waste disposal and kitchen sets in many districts are required. Please visit website: www.lk.undp.org/ndmc/Needs for detailed information.

Constraints

Rain continues to fall in the eastern areas. Some localised flooding is causing problems for transporters although main routes are largely passable.

Key coordination mechanisms

The Task force for Logistics and Law and Order (TAFLOL), which was set-up by the Government, will establish a stock tracking for all relief items coming into Sri Lanka and final distribution with the support of UNJLC, the Chamber of Commerce and IBM. Limited transport, warehouse and distribution facility/ capacity are the major concern.

WFP along with other UN agencies and NGOs is still facing difficulties in mobilizing trucks for the delivery of humanitarian assistance from central level to districts and from districts to beneficiaries.

UN and IFRC response

United Nations Children’s Fund

UNICEF has distributed household supplies in three divisions in Batticaloa district (1,368 bedsheets; 1,328 towels, 450 t-shirts, 150 tarpaulins, 14 tents). UNICEF has committed support in rehabilitation, construction and provision of supplies for schools (42 schools were destroyed and another 102 were damaged) and affected children. The required number of school-in-a-box kits will be procured.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

UNHCR organised the distribution of 400 plastic sheets, 800 sleeping mats, 400 towels and 400 ropes to three Temporary Accommodation Camps (TACs) in Kuchchaveli division together with the assistance of the UNDP Transition Programme and SLRC volunteers. In Trincomalee, a private truck has been hired for tomorrow’s distribution. This is expected to double the capacity for distribution.

World Food Programme

Dispatch of WFP food commodities so far reached around 356,000 people.

30 trucks are being dispatched from Colombo (350 MT) and 17 truck (170 MT) from Trincomalee enough for 75,600 persons for 15 days. WFP is expecting the arrival of 40 trucks to expedite its deliveries from its central warehouses to district level. The Country Office is currently using in-country stocks for responding to the emergency. The food pipeline will break on 12 January unless diversions are done immediately. WFP will look into local purchase of food in order to expedite delivery to beneficiaries. WFP is currently using its wheat-flour stocks in Trincomalee (in place of rice). Several assessment missions have recommended the immediate provision of oil to supplement the current ration of rice, pulses and sugar, and also possibly canned fish if made available.

World Health Organisation

Four NEHK are available providing basic emergency health needs to a total of 40,000 people for three months.

International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent

The following IFRC Emergency Response Units are operational:

3 Basic Health Care units, each provides basic health care to 20,000 people

2 Water and Sanitation Units, each provides 120,000 liters of water per day for 15,000 people

1 Logistics Unit

1 telecommunication Unit

Based on the IFRC Sri Lanka Tsunami Operation Plan of Action, non food relief items will be distributed to 80,000 families in the affected regions.

Other information

Detailed information on the relief effort is available on the website of the Centre for National Operations (CNO) www.priu.gov.lk. The website is fully supported by the UN system working in Sri Lanka.

REGIONAL COORDINATION AND LOGISTICS

An international coalition (Core Group) consisting of Australia, India, Japan and the United States has been established. The Core Group supports the international efforts to respond to the massive earthquake-tsunami disaster. OCHA deployed a Senior Officer along with Civil Military Coordination Officers to liase with the HQ of the Core Group in Thailand. A UN Joint Logistics Centre representative will join the Regional Civil Military Coordination Cell.

The airport of Subang in Malaysia will be available for accepting strategic airlift as from 6 January 2005. Ground handling and storage will be available. Parking space is sufficient for four wide bodies. Aircraft should be staggered by 2 hours. Slot times will be coordinated by UNJLC. Further dispatching will be done by C130 and coordinated between the Malaysian authorities, UNJLC and HAS.

The Singapore Airport will be used as an alternative air hub.

Please find below the logistics priority list as reported to OCHA:

PLEDGES – CONTRIBUTIONS

OCHA is prepared to serve as a channel for unearmarked cash contributions to be used for immediate relief assistance, in coordination with relevant organizations in the United Nations system. For banking details, please contact the desk officers indicated below. OCHA provides donors with written confirmation and pertinent details concerning the utilization of the funds contributed.

Updates on contributions to this disaster may be found on the Financial Tracking Service (http://www.reliefweb.int/fts; or, click “Financial Tracking” at the top of the ReliefWeb page for this disaster). Donors are requested to verify this table and inform OCHA Geneva of corrections/additions/values. Donors are encouraged to notify OCHA Geneva of their contributions to this disaster using the OCHA Standardized Contributions Recording Format, available electronically on the above-mentioned FTS website.

Together with further information on other ongoing emergencies, this situation report is also available on the OCHA Internet Website at http://www.reliefweb.int.

Aid agencies are encouraged to use the Virtual On-Site Operations Coordination Centre (OSOCC) at http://www.reliefweb.int to share information on assistance and coordinate activities.

Telephone: +41-22-917 12 34
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23/06 28
E-mail: ochagva@un.org

In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10

Desk Officers:
Mr. Erik Hägglund/Mr. Soichi Nakajima
Direct Tel. +41-22-917 32 99/ 4034

Mr. Rudi Müller/Ms. Caroline Péguet
Direct Tel. 41-22-917 3131 / 1836

Press contact:
(GVA) Ms. Elisabeth Byrs, direct Tel. ++41-22-917 26 53
(N.Y.) Ms. Stephanie Bunker, direct Tel. +1-917 367 51 26
(N.Y.) Mr. Brian Grogan, direct Tel. +1-212-963 11 43