An Oxfam Emergency Response Team is in place in Indonesia to provide assistance following a 7.0 magnitude earthquake which struck off the coast of Java yesterday.
Oxfam’s Indonesia Humanitarian Programme Manager Sébastien Fesneau said Oxfam’s partners are in the field helping to assess the damage caused by the earthquake, and what assistance is required.
“Oxfam has a very experienced emergency response team (ERT) in Indonesia that has responded to more than 30 emergencies since it was set up in the wake of the 2004 tsunami,” Mr Fesneau said.
“We are immediately providing emergency shelter supplies for 1,000 families who have been worst hit by the earthquake, and we have more emergency supplies ready to be deployed quickly if needed.”
At the same time, Oxfam and partners BMP-Jakarta and SPP-Tasikmalaya are assessing what people need in terms of other essentials such as water, sanitation and food.
“We are also working closely with the Government and other agencies to ensure that the immediate needs of the most vulnerable groups, in particular those of women and children, will be addressed, in accordance with humanitarian principles and standards and in a way which enables the speediest return to their normal way of life,” Mr Fesneau said.
Early reports are that more than 46 people have been killed in the quake, with more than 400 injured and thousands of homes damaged. The most affected areas are in Tasikmalaya and Garut districts.
International aid agency Oxfam has worked in Indonesia for more than 50 years, and has been involved in emergency responses in the country for more than 10 years.
For more information or to interview Sébastien Fesneau in Indonesia, please contact:
In Australia: Kate Thwaites on +61 407 515 559, katethwaites@oxfam.org.au
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