World Of Good Wednesday - U.S. Aid in Indonesian Quake Relief

Today's WOG is in honor of our nations volunteer humanitarian agencies--

U.S. Aid Agencies Help with Indonesia Quake

Aaron Glantz

OneWorld US

Wed., May. 31, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO, May 30 (OneWorld) - American private aid agencies are responding to the massive earthquake that hit Indonesia over the weekend. The magnitude 6.3 quake that struck southern Java in the early morning Saturday left over 5,000 dead, 20,000 injured, and 130,000 homeless.

"We started out giving out tarps," said Steven Green of Oxfam America, which is also providing clean water and other essential supplies to an estimated 20,000 people.

Crowded, makeshift camps have sprung up around hospitals and elsewhere near the quake's epicenter. Despite miserable weather conditions and torrential rain, many survivors have been afraid to return to their homes, as small- to large-scale aftershocks continued over the weekend.

"At first, there were a lot of people who wouldn't go back into their homes even if they survived the quake because of the aftershocks," Green told OneWorld. "Now that the aftershocks have passed we're focusing on providing clean water because it's very common for water-borne diseases to strike after disasters."

Residents of the quake-stricken area have complained that support from the Indonesian government has been slow in coming and of looting within the new tent cities.

The government has also come under criticism for its lack of a national mechanism to coordinate disaster response. "Such a mechanism is essential in a country geographically prone to natural disasters," said the Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission in a statement Monday.

The group also cited the immediate needs of survivors as canned food and water, baby food and milk, medicines, tents, sleeping bags, blankets, clothes, and cooking equipment.

Oxfam's Green said providing aid to the earthquake in Java has been easier than responding to 2004's tsunami. In 2004, Green says "all the main roads and the airport were knocked out by the tsunami. After this earthquake, the airport was closed briefly but most of the transportation is still working."

In addition, many aid agencies were already in the area providing long-term relief for the tsunami and other disasters.

According to InterAction, the umbrella group of U.S.-based voluntary organizations, there are currently 43 American aid organizations providing relief for earthquake victims. Many are religious organizations like Catholic Relief Services, Lutheran World Relief, Baptist World Aid, and the American Jewish Joint Distribution

Committee.

Habitat for Humanity, the home building charity founded by former President Jimmy Carter, is providing emergency shelter and is assessing how to help once reconstruction begins.

"All these groups have enough resources to be on the ground making assessments of the damage," InterAction's interim CEO Julie Taft said. "So far, with the holiday weekend, donations have been slow but I'm confident that as more people learn about what's happened the American people will step forward with generosity."

The quake struck just before 6:00 am local time Saturday along the southern coast of Java, one of the principal islands of the archipelago nation to the north and west of Australia.

The ancient royal capital region of Yogyakarta, some 275 miles east of the current capital Jakarta, was the hardest hit. The region's royal palaces and Borobudur temple complex are known as prime attractions for domestic and foreign tourists. Many foreigners also come to Yogyakarta to study the Indonesian language, but officials in Washington and London confirmed Tuesday that there had been no reports of American or British casualties.

Aid groups are especially concerned that the weekend's earthquake could cause the areas' long-simmering Mount Merapi volcano to erupt. The 9,800 foot volcano started spewing larger amounts of toxic gas in the aftermath of Saturday's quake.

The Indonesian government is urging residents to stay away from the volcano.

We are such a blessed nation to be able to help anyone who is in need, as we do. It is often a thankless job from critics to the left and right. The World Of Good Wednesday Blogburst thanks these agencies today.

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