Action Against Hunger |Action Against Hunger Responds to Disasters in Southeast Asia

Action Against Hunger Responds to Disasters in Southeast Asia

Published October 02, 2009 @ 04:11PM PT

Organization mobilizes emergency resources for earthquake and flood victims

Action Against Hunger has launched an emergency response to assist the victims of two earthquakes that hit the Indonesian island of Sumatra over the last 48 hours. These natural disasters come in the wake of devastating flooding in the Philippines, where ACF teams are on the ground preparing to receive the first aerial shipment of emergency supplies.

Response to Earthquakes in Sumatra, Indonesia

Immediately after the first earthquake hit Sumatra at 5 p.m. local time yesterday, Action Against Hunger deployed specialists in water, food distribution, and logistics to Padang, the region most affected by the disaster. ACF’s teams in Indonesia, prepared for this type of catastrophe, had already stockpiled emergency supplies, including first aid and hygiene kits, buckets, shovels, blankets, and drinking water containers. Thousands of Sumatra residents have abandoned their homes, heavily damaged by the earthquakes, to seek refuge in temporary shelters.

The 7.6 and 6.9 magnitude earthquakes, which have left severe flooding in their wake, have also destroyed water and sanitation infrastructure throughout the region. Action Against Hunger is mobilizing to prevent an epidemic resulting from highly unsanitary conditions.

Update from Flooding in the Philippines

Philippines residents, hit hard by Typhoon Ketsana on Saturday, are bracing for yet another tropical storm to land this weekend. Action Against Hunger has teams on the ground in Manila and surrounding areas to attend to urgent needs and organize the distribution of emergency supplies arriving by air tomorrow. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by the typhoon and the resulting flooding.

“The conditions in the temporary shelters are alarming,” said Pablo Alcalde, who oversees Action Against Hunger’s emergency water, sanitation, and hygiene response in the region. “Through the distribution of chlorination kits, jerry-cans and other emergency supplies, and the installation of latrines and water treatment stations, we hope to prevent a serious outbreak of water-borne disease.”

Photo courtesy of: Reuters/Muhammad Fitrah, courtesy www.alertnet.org

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