Update, November 2, 2018:
World Vision is on the ground in Indonesia responding to a devastating 7.4-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that has so far killed more than 2,000 people. Approximately 1,300 remain missing and over 4,600 were injured.
The Indonesian island of Sulawesi has been left reeling from the disaster. The quake and resulting tsunami have impacted more than two million people and caused widespread destruction, with the scale of the devastation still unfolding.
World Vision staff are meeting the immediate needs of children and families who’ve lost everything.
World Vision has been working rigorously to provide food and clean drinking water to those in need, particularly children and infants, as well as pregnant and nursing mothers. The disaster left children with deep emotional scars. At child-friendly spaces, they’ve been given a space to learn and play while they begin coming to terms with the trauma they’ve experienced.
We are continuing to work alongside the local government to assess the needs and execute timely responses.
Survivors on the island of Sulawesi urgently need food, water and shelter, while children require specialist support to care for and protect them. Shortages of clean water and food have been reported.
Devastated homes in Indonesia
Original story, October 4, 2018:
The aid response has been hampered by the devastation that has knocked out power lines, bridges, damaged airport infrastructure and brought down water and power supplies. Roads have been blocked by landslides.
People were reported trapped in collapsed buildings but there is a lack of heavy lifting equipment to rescue them. Communications with the area are intermittent with no news reported from some areas. Travel into the region takes hours with fuel running out.
The series of tsunami waves that followed the 7.4 quake on Friday reached up to three metres, sweeping away all in their path and more than 150 tremors have been felt since.
World Vision Indonesia Sulawesi zonal manager Radika Pinto who deployed into Palu reported seeing widespread destruction and chaos.
He said: “Many of the buildings are cracked and have collapsed. Most people are building makeshift shelters in the hills away from the water because they are terrified of another tsunami. There continue to be aftershocks and people are in a state of panic, running away with some yelling ‘Tsunami!’ Many people are hungry. Clean drinking water is also a huge need because the water pipelines are broken. The hospitals are damaged with medical staff performing services outside, and medical supplies are needed.”
A total of 38 staff are currently working in the affected area of Indonesia where World Vision has development programmes that support thousands of sponsored children.
Staff homes have been damaged and a number of staff are now camped out at the World Vision Indonesia office in Palu.
World Vision has worked in Indonesia for 61 years and was already responding to an earthquake in August that killed more than 400 people. Indonesia sits on the ring of fire, so-called because of the shifting tectonic plates that regularly result in earthquakes and volcanoes.
By James East