MGEAP1: EAP NATURAL DISASTER MONITORING GROUP

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 103356 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AEMR ASEC CASC MARR PREL PINR AMGT CD EAID, AQ, ID, RP, VM, LA, WS, TN SUBJECT: MGEAP1: EAP NATURAL DISASTER MONITORING GROUP SITUATION REPORT NUMBER ONE STATE 00103356 001.2 OF 002 RELIEF OPERATIONS RAMP UP IN INDONESIA -------------- ¶1. (SBU) The Secretary of Defense authorized seven million dollars for relief operations in Indonesia. The USS McCampbell and the USNS Richard E. Byrd will join the USS Denver in logistics support operations. (MGEAP1/PACOM e-mail) ¶2. (SBU) President Yudhoyono's Chief of Staff expressed gratitude for a U.S. military field hospital and the USS Denver's airlift support. He said imagery from P-3 flights would help the government's damage assessment and inquired about heavy equipment for excavation and well drilling. The provincial governor of West Sumatra cited clean water and heavy equipment as the greatest needs and asked for wells at each of the 29 hospitals in the affected area; he also requested additional tents for children with damaged school buildings. (MGEAP1/Embassy Jakarta e-mail) ¶3. (SBU) Rescue workers called off the search for survivors trapped under rubble, according to media. Approximately 180,000 homes and 20,000 buildings were damaged in the September 30 quake. A Disaster Assistance Response Team is due to arrive in the area shortly, according to Embassy Jakarta. (MGEAP1/Embassy Jakarta telcon, AP, nytimes.com) WEAKENED PARMA STALLS OFF COAST OF PHILIPPINES -------------- - ¶4. (U) Parma continues to drench the northern provinces and Taiwan after killing 22 people and causing widespread flooding and landslides. The tropical storm is nearly stationary in the South China Sea because Typhoon Melor is pulling Parma back towards the Philippine coast. Melor, off to the east of the Philippines, does not pose a direct threat at this point. (Reuters) ¶5. (SBU) A UN team and the Philippine Secretary of National Defense are in the northern Philippines evaluating damage caused by Parma. (MGEAP1/Embassy Manila telcon) ¶6. (SBU) Approximately 17,000 people remain in shelters in the Manila area as a result of Typhoon Ketsana. (MGEAP1/Embassy Manila telcon) ¶7. (SBU) The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit arrived October 4 and has begun aerial damage assessments of the Manila area. (MGEAP1/Embassy Manila telcon) ¶8. (U) Updated information, including Monitoring Group situation reports, will be posted to the Operations Center Crisis Management Staff's Intellipedia portals on the unclassified system at: http://www.intelink.gov/wiki/Portal:Crisis_In donesia, STATE 00103356 002.2 OF 002 http://www.intelink.gov/wiki/Portal:Crisis_Sa moa, and on the classified system at: http://www.intelink.gov/wiki/Portal:Crisis_Ph ilippines. Please note that these web addresses are case sensitive. ¶9. (U) Minimize considered. CLINTON