MGEAP1: INDONESIA EARTHQUAKE HUMANITARIAN UPDATE #6:

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 JAKARTA 001715 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP, CA STATE FOR USAID USAID FOR DCHA/OFDA CCHAN, ACONVERY, RTHAYER, AND RMT USAID FOR ANE KROSEN BANGKOK FOR ADWYER NSC FOR CPRATT USUN FOR DMERCADO GENEVA FOR NKYLOH PACOM POLAD/J3/J5 E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV CASC ECON EAID SENV ID PHUM AEMR ASEC CASC MARR, PREL, PINR, AMGT, EAID, AQ, LA, RP, TN, VM, WS SUBJECT: MGEAP1: INDONESIA EARTHQUAKE HUMANITARIAN UPDATE #6: PRELIMINARY HUMANITARIAN NEEDS ASSESSMENT REF: JAKARTA 01712 -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. Since arriving in Padang, West Sumatra, the USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (USAID/DART) has conducted assessments of areas affected by the September 30 earthquake to determine priority humanitarian needs. Preliminary assessment results indicate a widespread need for shelter interventions to assist individuals to rebuild damaged or destroyed houses. The USAID/DART is following up with reports of other needs, including agriculture, livelihoods, food, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH),in pocket areas. In addition to assistance from the humanitarian community, social capital, volunteerism, and charitable giving are helping affected populations meet immediate humanitarian needs. A more definitive humanitarian needs assessment will be issued via cable septel. End summary. -------------- Preliminary Assessment of Humanitarian Needs -------------- ¶2. Since arriving in Padang, the USAID/DART has conducted assessments of earthquake-affected areas in the districts of Agam, Padang Pariaman, and Pariaman to determine priority humanitarian needs. The areas to the north and west of Padang city are reportedly the hardest hit -- with the three assessed districts reportedly the most heavily affected in the region. Preliminary assessments indicate widespread needs for shelter interventions throughout earthquake-affected areas and possible needs for agriculture, livelihoods, food, and WASH assistance in select areas. Field assessments conducted by the USAID/DART from October 8 through 12 inform this preliminary humanitarian needs report. -------------- -------------- USAID/DART Assessments Indicate Needs for Shelter, Shelter, Agriculture/Livelihoods, WASH, and Food -------------- -------------- -- Shelter and Agriculture/Livelihoods Needs in Sicincin -- ¶3. On October 11, the USAID/DART field officer and information officer conducted assessments in and around Sicincin town, which is located approximately 20 miles east of Pariaman town in Padang Pariaman District. Effects of the earthquake are striking in and around Sicincin, where the quake reduced a large proportion of houses to rubble and caused significant structural damage to many of the remaining buildings. The USAID/DART interviewed individuals whose homes were destroyed, Indonesian volunteers assisting to repair infrastructure, a local government official, a business owner, and a threshing worker. Preliminary assessment results indicate that many individuals need shelter assistance, and some individuals may need agriculture and/or livelihoods assistance, now or in the coming months. ¶4. Houses in and around Sicincin town sustained significant damage. Many of the houses that were not totally destroyed are uninhabitable. Families have erected temporary shelter -- in the form of simple tents constructed from one or more tarpaulins -- and have moved furniture and other salvaged belongings to yards surrounding houses. Individuals reported sleeping in these temporary shelters. All individuals indicated that a new permanent shelter was their top priority. ¶5. Individuals in and around Sicincin town reported continued access to water sources before and after the earthquake. Individuals whose water sources were destroyed stated that neighbors are allowing them to fetch water from neighbors' water sources. Affected populations in Sicincin appear to be able to continue to follow cultural practices of boiling water to ensure that water is JAKARTA 00001715 002 OF 004 potable, using wood collected from nearby areas as fuel to boil water. ¶6. Earthquake-affected populations in Sicincin may require agriculture and/or livelihoods assistance. Many individuals in this area are farmers who own either irrigated or rain-fed rice paddies. Anecdotal reports indicate that some irrigation systems sustained significant damage, to the extent that some farmers' paddies have dried up and rice crops have been lost in the days since the earthquake. Individuals who spoke with the USAID/DART did not report the need for tools or seeds. Further investigation is needed to ascertain the extent to which populations in and around Sicincin require agriculture and/or livelihoods assistance. ¶7. In the immediate term, individuals in Sicincin do not require significant food assistance. Families reported having received food from local charities and were not concerned that charities would cease the provision of food in the near term. The USAID/DART notes that food insecurity may increase in the coming months, depending on the extent of the damage to irrigation systems and the consequent effect that this damage inflicts on the next rice harvest. -- WASH, Health, and Food Needs in Padang Pariaman -- ¶8. On October 10, the Consular General from Medan and the USAID/DART field officer traveled to Nagari Tandikat village in Patamuan Sub-District of Padang Pariaman District. The earthquake triggered a landslide which killed 350 people and destroyed 70 houses in the village. The quake also blocked the river that provided the main source of irrigation and drinking water for the village. ¶9. The team met with local villagers and the Indonesian Military (TNI) to determine priority needs. Villagers stated their priority need as water for drinking and irrigating. Drinking water is available, but villagers must walk half a kilometer to fetch water in community wells. All villagers reported that they continue to boil water. ¶10. The TNI remarked that excavation equipment that could assist to unblock the river will tentatively arrive in Pariaman in the coming week, subject to approval by the local Government of Indonesia (GoI) office, which sets priorities for heavy equipment use. (Comment: The fact that GoI officials set priorities for heavy equipment use is indicative of an insufficient amount of heavy equipment to clear roads or unblock rivers. End comment.) ¶11. In Padang Pariaman District, the USAID/DART spoke with villagers who reported having sustained injuries during the earthquake that have to date remained untreated. Villagers remarked that neither the local government nor international organizations have offered medical assistance. Upon receiving this report, the USAID/DART relayed the need for medical assistance to the International Medical Corps (IMC). IMC plans to send mobile medical clinics to the area within the coming days. ¶12. Villagers expressed concern about a possible loss of the rice crop due to blockage in the river that is stopping irrigation. While some rice paddies appeared to be dry, the USAID/DART cannot yet ascertain whether the rice harvest can be salvaged for this season. The possible failure of this season's rice harvest could result in significant food insecurity. Potential interventions include continued food distribution through the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) or the GoI, or cash-based interventions increasing access to food in area markets. -- WASH and Food Needs in Agam and Padang Pariaman -- ¶13. On October 8, members of the USAID/DART visited a spontaneous displaced person camp near Lake Maninjau in Agam District, as reported reftel. Individuals in the camp were ordered by police to evacuate four villages that police deemed unsafe due to potential JAKARTA 00001715 003 OF 004 landslides following the earthquake. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is providing humanitarian assistance for the 1,987 individuals sheltering in the camp. However, unmet needs persist, including the need for safe drinking water, as some individuals living in the camp are collecting water from the nearby lake. Sanitation facilities at a neighboring mosque were insufficient to sustain the population's sanitation needs. IOM told USAID/DART representatives that individuals might only remain in the camp for two additional weeks. The extent of sanitation needs will depend on the length of time that IDPs remain in the camp. ¶14. The USAID/DART interviewed other individuals elsewhere in Agam and Padang Pariaman districts. Except for individuals in the IDP camp near Lake Maninjau, all families were residing at places of origin under makeshift shelters on their own land where they had cleared rubble from the damaged or destroyed houses. Families reported their biggest needs as help rebuilding houses and food. While the shelter cluster reported GoI plans to provide financial assistance to families with destroyed or damaged homes, none of the interviewed families were aware of such plans. ¶15. On October 8, the USAID/DART did not observe signs that the earthquake interrupted the agricultural season but did note that many households' food stocks were buried in collapsed houses, causing people to rely on market purchases or charitable giving to meet household demand for food. Food insecurity, due to a lack of access and not a lack of availability, may result for affected populations. ¶16. The USAID/DART also assessed conditions in local markets, interviewing rice traders, lumber traders, and store merchants on October 8. Markets appeared to be functioning well, and supply chains were intact. The price of rice in markets visited in these areas had increased more than 30 percent since the earthquake, likely due to the loss of households' stocks of rice and resulting increased purchases of rice from market sources. (Comment: If prices continue to rise, food insecurity will likely increase as food becomes increasingly difficult for families to access. End comment.) ¶17. Water has also become more expensive in areas assessed on October 8. The USAID/DART found that the cost of 19-liter bottles of water in assessed markets had increased more than 40 percent. However, the majority of families interviewed fetch water from wells rather than purchasing water from the market. Typically, more wealthy families purchase water from vendors. At present, the USAID/DART is not concerned with this increase in the price of water, given that most families continue to access water from local water sources and boil it prior to consumption. ¶18. In markets assessed on October 8, the price of fuel for cooking or boiling water had not increased since the earthquake. The price of fuel used for cooking is critically important as many families rely on market purchase of fuel to boil water. If the price of fuel rises, a problem of access may result, resulting in families halting the boiling practice, thereby giving rise to considerable public health concerns. The price of lumber had likewise remained stable, perhaps because affected populations have not yet begun to purchase lumber for rebuilding or because populations will rebuild houses with materials other than lumber. -------------- -------------- Humanitarian Needs Reported through Cluster System -------------- -------------- ¶19. The USAID/DART is continuing to share information about needs with other members of the humanitarian community. Participants in the October 12 general coordination meeting remarked that the earthquake may have particularly affected individuals whose livelihoods are brick-making and farming. Reports indicate that the quake destroyed all kilns. As families begin rebuilding and the demand for bricks rises, delays in reconstruction will likely occur. JAKARTA 00001715 004 OF 004 (Comment: The USAID/DART has observed individuals salvaging bricks from rubble. Programs that further incentivize salvaging bricks could mitigate a potential brick shortage. The U.N. Development Program is planning to implement programs to assist individuals to salvage rubble, including bricks. End comment.) Cluster members also reported that damaged irrigation systems will cause an unconfirmed amount of land to go without irrigation, which may affect farmers in the current and upcoming agricultural seasons. -------------- -------------- Volunteerism, Charitable Giving, and Social Capital -------------- -------------- ¶20. Many of the individuals with whom the USAID/DART spoke on October 11 reported receiving food, water, and secondhand clothing through unspecified charities. In Padang Pariaman and Agam districts on October 11 and 12, members of the USAID/DART observed groups of Indonesian volunteers, who reported having come to earthquake-affected areas for up to one month. Volunteers were engaged in repairing irrigation infrastructure and delivering food in areas that are currently difficult to access. ¶21. In addition, in Padang Pariaman District, the USAID/DART observed that affected populations' social capital is serving to mitigate shocks and help meet immediate humanitarian needs after the earthquake. Affected families rely on neighbors to meet needs for water, charities to obtain food, and extended family to meet needs ranging from emergency shelter to food. -------------- Needs Assessment Reported Septel -------------- ¶22. The USAID/DART continues to conduct additional field assessments in order to ascertain humanitarian needs in affected areas. The team plans to update this preliminary needs assessments septel in the coming week. Osius#