Plan encourages community-led shelter building

Update: 7 June 2006, 12:00 local time

Local people are working hard to clear their villages: shifting rubble and building their own temporary shelters using recovered materials, bamboo and tarpaulin. The shelters seem to be strong and adaptable, and Plan is encouraging these community-led efforts.

Shelter remains a high priority. Plan's focus has turned from Pleret - where every family now has a tarpaulin - to Dlingo and Imogiri subdistricts, which were both badly hit by the earthquake.

Plan has distributed tarpaulins to 3,314 families in the two worst-hit villages in Dlingo and is now targeting families in Imogiri.

Education

The latest government figures show that in Bantul district:

• 77 primary schools have been destroyed
• 155 have been severely damaged and 108 lightly damaged

Unicef has ordered 1,000 school tents and the Japanese government has said it will procure a further 2,000 tents. However, the tents are only expected to last 3-6 months and Plan staff estimate that the temporary schools will be needed for at least a year.

More than 15,000 people have fled to safety following increased volcanic activity from Mount Merapi; since Tuesday, the volcano has been spewing large gas and ash clouds, and scientists fear that it has been further destabilised by last month's earthquake.

Plan distributes tarpaulins to every family in Pleret

Update: 02 June 2006, 22:00 local time

Plan has now distributed one tarpaulin to every family in the Pleret sub-district - a total of 10,518. Pleret is a former Plan-supported area, and was one of the hardest hit areas in last month's earthquake. 

While they have enough medicines and food, they still need:

• Education facilities
• Health facilities
• Housing reconstruction and rehabilitation

Robberies are on the rise and police have advised people not to leave their homes at night. Armed robbers have also held up a supply vehicle: the police and military have said they will provide escorts on request.

Health

Three field hospitals have now been set up. Around 20,000 patients are currently in hospitals throughout the central Java and Bantul provinces. Although the hospitals have enough trained staff, strong antibiotics remain in short supply and more ambulances are needed.

According to the UN, the situation in Bantul is under control. However, one doctor reports that in his daily hospital visits he is still coming across cases of gangrene and also injured patients who are overlooked in the crowded wards.

Shelter

This remains the priority: we are still in the emergency phase and there are still communities that have not yet been reached.

Water and sanitation: an estimated 15,000 latrines are urgently needed. Plan is distributing 63,000 jerry cans (which can be used for carrying and storing water) and 20,000 puritabs (water purification tablets).

Education

Plan is proposing to help out in the Bantul districts of Pleret, Dlingo, Imogiri and Piyungan. Staff have proposed temporary-shelter kits containing large tarpaulins, ropes, bamboo, groundsheets and pegs. UNICEF has ordered 5,000 tents for schools.

Plan staff put their comprehensive plan for school rebuilding and rehabilitation to the government's education ministry. The latest figures show that 1,211 primary and junior-high schools have been destroyed or badly damaged, with Bantul and Klaten the worst-affected areas. An estimated 250,000 children currently have no school to go to; staff expect a large number of these will have to attend tented schools for at least a year.

Schools which have been only slightly damaged are expected to be refurbished in 1-2 months. Schools which have been destroyed will be replaced and consolidated into larger schools, or rebuilt on existing sites.

Java earthquake: shelter and schools are Plan’s major priorities

1 June 2006

Plan has already had an excellent response to its US$3 million worldwide appeal to provide emergency relief and reconstruction for thousands of children affected by the earthquake on the Indonesian island of Java. But funds are still urgently needed.

Donations have so far been spent on emergency aid and supplies, such as:

• temporary shelter
• blankets
• baby-care kits
• hygiene items
• food and water
• school-materials
• recreation kits for children

Tom Miller, Plan’s Chief Executive Officer says:
“The situation is stabilising and allowing our local team to get a clearer picture of the situation and the needs of affected families.

"Our distribution and supply chains are up and running and our staff are working round the clock to source, package and distribute emergency supplies.

“Our first priorities are shelter, hygiene and non-food items.  People are sleeping in rudimentary shelters amongst their ruined homes. We have already distributed tarpaulins and mats to some 9,500 families."

Plan has flown in two medical teams to treat the sick and injured, but the medical system remains severely overloaded and there are shortages of high-dose antibiotics.

“Our medium-term priority is to establish an element of normality in children’s lives,” adds Tom Miller. “So we are looking to get children into a safe and familiar environment as soon as possible.”

What we're doing now...
Carrying out an assessment of damage to schools and will be providing school materials and helping to set up makeshift classrooms in tents or temporary structures.

In the next few days...
Plan will be setting up child-friendly centres for young children whose homes and schools have been damaged or destroyed. 

Latest estimates suggest that more than 1,400 schools have been badly damaged or destroyed in Yogyakarta province and central Java. Clearing of rubble and debris is likely to be a major issue. 

Over the next six months...
Plan will be focusing on giving support to people affected by the earthquake, especially children and young people, in order to prevent them from coming to further harm and help them rebuild their lives.  This will include psychosocial care and child protection activities.
 
Plan is working from three locations in the quake-zone: Yogyakarta, Bantul and Gunung Kidul.

Previous updates:

Quake hits Indonesia

Death toll climbs to 5,800, Plan's focus shelter and hygiene
31 May 2006

The death toll from the earthquake is now more than 5,800; the Indonesian government has promised an unconfirmed cash amount to families to help them rebuild their homes and re-establish their livelihoods. We do not expect a large movement of people out of the area; the land here is very fertile and communities have more incentives to stay than to move.

Plan’s immediate focus remains shelter, hygiene and basic non-food items, particularly for children. To date we have distributed:

• 1,443 tarpaulins
• 1,845 mats
• 148 mattresses
• 1,205 adult hygiene kits
• 339 children's hygiene kits
• 200 baby kits

In total we plan to distribute 13,000 tarpaulins and 10,000 mats. In the medium-term Plan staff will focus on core child-centred activities, including temporary schooling, child-friendly spaces and education infrastructure.

Shelter

Shelter is the most pressing need; many people are sleeping in very basic shelters or under large tarpaulins. The heavy rains since the earthquake mean that there is an urgent need to improve temporary shelter for affected people.

Education

Around 80% of the 68 schools which Plan staff have assessed are badly damaged or destroyed. Plan has met the government’s Emergency Education department and outlined a strategy for education provision. This includes:

• Temporary schools
• Temporary child-friendly centres including supervised play centres
• Temporary early-childhood care and development (ECCD) centres

Going forward, the government wants to consolidate the damaged smaller schools into larger schools. The Department of Social Works has been tasked with clearing the sites for new schools. There are concerns that this department is not as well-organised as the education department.

Medical treatment

The Indonesia Country Office has paid for two teams of doctors to fly to the affected areas. They are currently supporting Red Cross medical teams. The military have set up temporary "satellite" clinics - these stay in locations for two to three days, before moving on. The local authorities claim they now have enough medical staff for the disaster - but there is still a shortage of high-dose antibiotics, bed sheets and other basic medical supplies and equipment.

Background

A quake measuring 6.2 struck the Indonesian island of Java at 5.45am local time on Saturday, 27th May, killing over 4,000 people, injuring many more thousands and displacing up to 150,000 from their homes forcing them to sleep out in the streets.

The situation

Indonesian medical officers carry an injured man - Photo Reuters/Dwi Oblo, courtesy of www.alertnet.org

The worst affected area is the district of Bantul, directly to the south of Yogyakarta. In this area houses have been significantly damaged or destroyed - 50% of the buildings in the districts furthest from the epicentre - 25km south west of Yogya, at sea - and up to 90% in the ones closer. Mobile phone services are still poor and electricity is intermittant.

Residents search for their belongings Photo Reuters/Crack Palinggi, courtesy of www.alertnet.org

Although the military have arrived in the area to assist and have helped set up camps with the collaboration of the International Federation of the Red Cross, the most pressing concerns are shelters and sanitary conditions.

Plan's response

Plan staff on the ground are currently assessing the damage and the urgent needs of children and their families in the area.

On the day of the quake, Plan organised an emergency meeting focussing on the special needs of children, with the participation of other international organisations and local authorities, including the Indonesian Red Cross, OCHA - the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Department of Social Affairs, Church World Service, and UNICEF.

Plan has been distributing blankets and sleeping mats in the hospitals and emergency medical camps of Bantul in coordination with the Indonesian Red Cross, and over 2,000 blankets, 786 adult hygiene kits, 667 child hygiene kits and 93 packs of garbage bags to some of the hardest hit areas.

Plan is also mobilising to acquire plastic tarpaulin sheets for 6,000 emergency family shelters, blankets, 5,000 sleeping mats, hygiene kits for children and adults, recreational kits, school kits and baby emergency supplies.  

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