INDONESIA TSUNAMI-EARTHQUAKE JULY 19 UPDATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 009044 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/MTS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AEMR CASC EAID PREL SENV SOCI ID SUBJECT: INDONESIA TSUNAMI-EARTHQUAKE JULY 19 UPDATE Ref: A. Jakarta 9859 (UPDATE) ¶B. Jakarta 8956 (DISASTER DECLARATION) JAKARTA 00009044 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. Summary. The GOI has raised its count of victims from the July 17 earthquake and tsunami to 525 dead, 383 injured and 273 missing. Most observers expect the casualty figures to continue to rise as more information becomes available. An estimated 51,000 people have been displaced. The West Java Governor says the provincial and district government is able to handle the situation. The GOI has not/not yet declared it as a national disaster. The three-person Embassy team at the site reports no known American citizens injured or killed. Seven foreign citizens were killed, nationals from Sweden, the Netherlands, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The Consular section has no open welfare and whereabouts (w/w) inquiries for people reported traveling in Java. The USG has made a USD 50,000 contribution to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in order to support the Indonesian Red Cross, which has dispatched relief supplies and deployed volunteers and medical teams. The UN states that it is able to meet current disaster needs using existing resources and does not plan to issue a special appeal. End Summary. CASUALTIES -------------- ¶2. BAKORNAS PBP (the National Disaster Management and Refugee Coordination Board) confirmed that casualties from the July 17 earthquake and tsunami include 525 dead, 383 injured and 273 missing. BAKORNAS PBP additionally estimates that 51,000 people have been displaced from their homes. ¶3. The West Java Governor says the provincial and district government is able to handle the situation. The GOI has not/not yet declared it as a national disaster. AMERICAN CITIZENS -------------- ¶4. Embassy staff from USAID, Consular and Regional Security have been at the site since July 18 and found no reports of injured Americans. The three-person team visited the four hospitals where quake and tsunami victims are being treated and found no reports of any Americans seeking treatment. No unidentified foreign-looking people or foreign citizens are still hospitalized. About 12-15 European and Australian citizens were treated for minor injuries and released. A total of seven foreign citizens were killed; one each from Sweden, the Netherlands, and Japan and two each from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The Embassy team visited two camps for persons displaced by the disaster and found no American citizens there. Police have no reports of any Americans in the area. Post has only four open w/w inquiries, all for people traveling in Bali or Lombok. Five other w/w inquiries have been resolved; none involved travelers in the earthquake area. The USAID team member will remain at the site until July 21 to gather additional information. The remaining team will return to Jakarta July 20 if no Americans are reported missing or injured. EMERGENCY RESPONSE -------------- ¶5. President Yodhoyono instructed the West Java Governor and the Chief of Bakornas (Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare) to take necessary actions to respond to the emergency situation in the affected areas. The DistrictQovernment of Ciamis is evacuating communities living in disaster-prone areas, searching for survivors and victims, as well as preparing temporary evacaution sites. Displaced populations are temporarily be sheltered in community halls, schools and mosques. ¶6. Volunteers from the Indonesian Red Cross, Indonesian military personnel and Indonesian police have participated in search and rescue efforts. The Indonesian military is mobilizing resources in the affected areas to help evacuation activities and establish public field kitchens. JAKARTA 00009044 002.2 OF 002 ¶7. The USG has already made available USD 50,000 to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in order to support the Indonesian Red Cross. As soon as officially confirmed, Embassy Public Affairs plans to release a press statement. ¶8. At the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) Donor and NGO coordination meeting on July 18, the UN stated that it is able to meet current disaster needs using existing resources and does not plan to issue a special appeal. PASCOE