Aid in Action

Rapid Response to the Central Java-Jogjakarta Earthquake

Yogyakarta | Sunday, June 25, 2006

On May 27th, U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia B. Lynn Pascoe declared a disaster due to the severe damage caused by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake that struck the Indonesian island of Java at 05:54 local time that same morning.  USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) responded immediately through a $100,000 grant to the Indonesian Red Cross to meet emergency needs.

USAID/OFDA is responsible for facilitating and coordinating U.S. Government emergency assistance overseas, providing aid to save lives, alleviate human suffering, and reduce the social and economic impact of humanitarian emergencies worldwide.

Within two days of the earthquake, USAID/OFDA deployed a nine-person Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to Jogjakarta to work closely with the U.S. military  and the U.S. Embassy to deliver relief supplies, identify needs, recommend appropriate assistance, and ensure coordination with international relief agencies and the Government of Indonesia (GOI).

The GOI has reported more than 5,722 deaths and more than 37,000 injuries. The earthquake destroyed or heavily damaged an estimated 500,000 homes, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

As of June 12th, USAID/OFDA had pledged $5 million for earthquake response activities and already allocated most of this pledge to finance: airlifts and the distribution of relief commodities; humanitarian coordination efforts; and, emergency health, shelter, and water and sanitation activities.
Examples of USAID/OFDA emergency assistance through grants to local partners in the days immediately following the earthquake included:

• $300,000 to the International Medical Corps (IMC) to provide emergency medical services to those injured in the earthquake
• $998,091 to complement ongoing USAID projects in Indonesia providing shelter and access to clean water
• $150,000 to the World Health Organization (WHO) for emergency health activities to strengthen disease surveillance and establish a disease early warning system in earthquake-affected areas
• $50,000 to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to transport patients to the U.S. military field hospital in Bantul District for emergency treatment

In his second visit to Jogjakarta since the devastating earthquake, Ambassador Pascoe announced on June 9th that U.S. assistance efforts would transition from emergency relief to long-term recovery in the earthquake-affected areas.  Additional USAID/OFDA activities will complement ongoing USAID projects in Indonesia to support long-term recovery with respect to water and sanitation, health, and transitional shelter.