Sumatra earthquake
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© UNICEF Indonesia/2009/Josh Estey
In the West Sumatra village of Kampung Dalam, UNICEF-supplied jerry cans are distributed amongst families affected by the 30 September earthquake which devasated the Indonesia region. |
On September 30, two earthquakes struck off the coast of West Sumatra. Over 500 people are known to have died. Tens of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes, a third of them children. They are all in urgent need of food and shelter.
UNICEF is concerned about the risk of disease outbreaks.
“The needs of thousands of children are vast and urgent. They must have access to clean water, shelter and help in overcoming the aftermath of the earthquake,” says UNICEF Country Representative in Indonesia, Angela Kearney.
“Children who survived the quake are at extreme risk of illnesses, including diarrhoeal diseases, acute respiratory infections and outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and polio. The risk of tetanus is very high due to injuries and open wounds,” she said.
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© UNICEF Indonesia/2009/Josh Estey
At Elementary School 1 in Padang, local workers erect a UNICEF-supplied school tent to serve as an emergency classroom. In two days, UNICEF distributed the first of 15 tents. Another 228 were rushed to the area. |
Providing children with access to education is also critical during the recovery period. In 48 hours, UNICEF rapidly erected the first of a planned 250 classroom tents in Padang city to create temporary learning areas and psycho-social support.
Less than a week after the earthquakes, nearly 70,000 students returned to class.
