INDONESIA EARTHQUAKE HUMANITARIAN UPDATE #15: USAID/OFDA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001819 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP, CA STATE FOR USAID USAID FOR DCHA/OFDA CCHAN, ACONVERY, RTHAYER 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: INDONESIA EARTHQUAKE HUMANITARIAN UPDATE #15: USAID/OFDA FIELD VISIT TO PARIAMAN AND AGAM DISTRICTS -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. On October 28, USAID/OFDA Field Officers (FO) visited International Medical Corps' (IMC) Mobile HEALTH Clinics in Padang Pariaman. On October 30, the field officers visited Mercy Corps' distribution in Agam District. The field officers found no urgent humanitarian needs. Both programs are running smoothly and the beneficiary population is appreciative of the assistance. However, access is going to be a challenge as we move further into the rainy season. Many roads damaged during the earthquake are showing further erosion. -------------- IMC -------------- ¶2. On October 28, USAID/OFDA Field Officers visited IMC Mobile Clinics in Patamuan sub-district in Padang Pariaman District. Nearly all of the structures in this area are destroyed or seriously damaged, with most of those being condemned. Some elements of the local HEALTH system are slowly coming back on line, but many of the community-level HEALTH posts sustained damage. IMC reported in the general cluster meeting that roughly 50 HEALTH clinics in Pariaman are destroyed. The field officers noted deteriorating road conditions throughout the area. The rainy season has begun so we can expect further erosion of roads, with some areas being completely cut off. ¶3. Sarang Gagak Mobile Clinic - Currently, Sarang Gagak is only accessible by 4X4. On the day we visited, the staff and community had to carry to clinic equipment to the location when their vehicle was unable to navigate the road. IMC mobile clinics visit two locations a day. Each location receives weekly visits from the health team. The mobile clinic is staffed with ONE doctor and ONE nurse. Nearly all patients are accessing the mobile clinic for non-earthquake related conditions such as respiratory infections and gastrointestinal problems. ¶4. Puskesmas Patamuan Static Clinic - The structure has some damage but a French engineer team installed support beams in the center of the building as a short-term fix until rehabilitation work begins. No timeframe was given for when this reconstruction would happen. There are a few permanent staff members at Puskesmas Patamuan, however, the doctor and warehouse manager work for IMC. The center receives medicines from the HEALTH Ministry with some supplemental drugs provided by IMC. IMC assisted the clinic staff with organizing their storage space, as well as improving the pharmaceutical tracking system used by the facility. IMC has established a warehousing system to track the medicines that the health teams dispense at the mobile clinics. The system will help IMC and local medical personnel track distribution of medicines in case of recall and to follow-up with patients. ¶5. Sungai Kamuning Mobile Clinic - Sungai Kamuning is accessible only by motorbike. Many of the patients seen at this clinic are elderly. They were being treated for what appeared to be injuries sustained during cleanup of their homes, i.e. cuts, nail punctures, etc. The community HEALTH worker who attended the mobile clinic is responsible for notifying the community of the mobile clinic and will follow up with the patients to ensure that they are taking their medicines. Access to this area is also threatened by further rain-fed erosion to landslide-damaged roads. Field Officers observed significant degradation of road damage since visiting this area on 24 October. -------------- Mercy Corps -------------- ¶6. On 30 October, OFDA Field Officers visited a Mercy Corps hygiene JAKARTA 00001819 002 OF 002 kit and recovery kit distribution in Koto Baru, on the shore of Lake Maninjau in Agam Province. The distribution site was on the main road through the area and was well attended. The recipients were identified by community leaders and had been given a chit for kits they would receive. The distribution site was along the main road, which raises safety concerns. The FOs witnessed no traffic incidents, but suggested that distributions would be safer if they took place away from the road. The Mercy Corps representative said they had suggested another site further from the road, but local leaders had selected the site they were using. ¶7. There were about fifty people present at the time of the distribution. While the scene was fairly chaotic, there was no ill will or shoving. The crowd was in good spirits and cooperative. The crowd spilled out onto the main road and had to be alert to passing traffic. The hygiene and recovery kits were transported by IOM trucks. As Mercy Corps is reliant upon IOM for transportation, distributions do not always happen at the established time. Mercy Corps workers read each name from a list, and that person came forward with the chit to receive a hygiene kit. The kits contained personal hygiene products, mosquito nets, towels, blankets and soap powder. The recovery kits were distributed to groups of five families and included items such as wheelbarrows, sledge hammers, shovels, and pry bars. ¶8. The FOs also visited an IDP camp a short walk from the distribution site. These IDPs were displaced by landslides on the coast of Lake Maninjau and had previously been housed in the local market shelter. They were interviewed by OFDA FOs on 6 October. The camp consisted of approximately 85 Shelter Box tents very tightly packed on a field. The camp was being managed by the TNI, the Indonesian military. It was overcrowded, with some tents shared by two families, but appeared to be in fairly good order. There were latrine facilities and water was being trucked to the site. According to the camp manager, the government will relocate these IDPs as landslide dangers prevent them from moving back to their former homes. The FOs attempted to continue around the lake by the main road but found the road impassible without a 4x4 -------------- Comments -------------- ¶9. Implementation of programs by IMC and Mercy Corps are proceeding without problems. Both organizations have strong relationships with local government and the beneficiary population. USAID/OFDA FOs are confident that IMC and Mercy Corps will be able to successfully complete activities on time. Hume#