[Kabar-indonesia] OCHA & Red Cross Reports: South Sulawesi Province [death toll hits 248]

[Joyo at aol.com]

also: OCHA and Red Cross Reports

Agence France-Presse
Saturday, June 24, 2006

Indonesia flood death toll hits 248

The death toll from floods and landslides in Indonesia's South Sulawesi 
province has hit 248 with another 100 still reported missing, police and officials 
said.

Rescue workers had uncovered a total of 248 bodies as of Saturday morning, 
Eko Wahyudi, a policeman from worst-hit Sinjai district, told AFP.

"There are about 100 people missing," Wahyudi said.

The spokesman for the joint disaster relief team in Sinjai, Marine Second 
Lieutenant Mardiono, also confirmed that 248 had been killed, the state Antara 
news agency reported.

Flash floods rushed through at least six districts in South Sulawesi, about 
about 1,600 kilometres (1,000 miles) northeast of the Indonesian capital 
Jakarta, on Tuesday.

But rescue workers have since struggled to find the dead, hampered by the 
remote location of some of the affected areas, deadly landslides, and heavy seas 
off the coast where many bodies were thought to have been swept.

Efforts continued Saturday but more earth movers were needed to speed up the 
task of sifting through the rubble, Aris, a relief official in Sinjai, told 
AFP.

"We need to bring more in although there are some operating already," he said.

He also said that six affected villages -- Kompang, Polewali, Puncak, 
Barambang, Bonto Katute and Tasilelu Dalam -- were still isolated as road access to 
the region had been blocked by mudslides.

"We are going to airlift workers to these villages because they badly need 
food and medicine," Aris said.

He estimated that some 9,000 people had been made homeless in the disaster.

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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Ref: OCHA/GVA - 2006/0113 

OCHA Situation Report No. 3

INDONESIA Flash Floods and Landslides in South
Sulawesi Province

This report is based on information received from the
UN Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator's Office in
Jakarta.

SITUATION

1. The Provincial Coordinating Unit for the Management
of Disaster (SATKORLAK PB) South Sulawesi reported
that the evacuation process continues. Road access to
Sinjai Tengah and Sinjai Borong sub-districts is open
for emergency vehicles only. The Office of Public
Works is still working to reopen road access to
Gantarang and Kompang villages in Sinjai Tengah
sub-district. It was confirmed that access to 1,500
persons in Gantarang village is cut due to roads being
blocked by debris. Food supply is limited.

2. According to SATKORLAK PB South Sulawesi, displaced
persons are scattered mostly in temporary tents
provided by local authorities in each village. In some
areas, people are using generators for electricity
supply.

3. Local media reports that preliminary data from the
Sinjai administration estimates disaster damage at
over Rp.244 billion (or US$25.7 million).

4. Updated data from SATKORKAL PB South Sulawesi (23
June, 08:00) is as follows:

 NATIONAL RESPONSE

5. 600 military personnel were deployed to help the
affected population clear debris and repair houses.

6. The National Coordinating Board for the Management
of Disaster (BAKORNAS PB), through SATKORLAK PB South
Sulawesi, will provide Rp.1 billion (approx.
equivalent to US$ 1 million) for South Sulawesi
province to deal with the disaster. This is in
addition to Rp.850 million from SATKORLAK PB South
Sulawesi.

7. The Coordinating Ministry for People's Welfare will
provide 100 tons of rice, 400 boxes of instant
noodles, six tons of medical supplies, 200 body bags,
ten tons of biscuits, 5,000 sarongs and 5,000
blankets.

8. In a press conference following a cabinet meeting
Wednesday (21 June) in Jakarta, the Minister of
Finance, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, said that the
Government would add Rp.1.5 trillion (or equivalent to
USD 1.5 billion) allocated for natural disaster
management to the Revised State Budget 2006.

9. The Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) has established one
field kitchen unit in Sinjai District and distributed
296 hygiene kits to four districts (Sinjai, Bulukumba,
Bantaeng, and Jeneponto). PMI will send 60 family
tents and emergency medicine by air cargo on 22 June.
PMI senior National Board Member with Disaster
Response Coordinator will visit the affected areas in
South Sulawesi to explore further needs and strengthen
response and coordination capacity. Neighboring all
PMI branches, SATGANA (Field Action Team) volunteers,
field kitchen and mobile medical units are on standby
to address any additional needs.

10. The Ministry of Health has sent 186 packages of
medical supplies, two rubber motorboats, 200 body
bags, 3.1 tons of baby porridge, and 7.3 tons of
biscuits. The Health Office of South Sulawesi is
preparing medical supplies from their buffer stock.

INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE

11. WHO deployed staff Friday (23 June) to conduct a
health assessment.

UNICEF South Sulawesi will deploy two staff tomorrow
(24 June) to conduct a water & sanitation assessment.

12. The UN RC/HC Office in Jakarta will continue to be
in close contact with pertinent government and
non-government institutions, as well as the Indonesian
Red Cross to monitor the situation.

REQUIRED ASSISTANCE

13. SATKORLAK PB South Sulawesi indicated that clean
water, hygiene kits, and jerry cans are needed.

14. PMI partial rapid assessment report indicated the
need of 1,000 family kits, ten platoon tents, ten
field kitchens, medical supplies, and rubber boats.

15. The Ministry of Health indicated that medical
supplies for diarrhoea, acute respiratory track
infections, scabies, analgetics, water purification
tablets, and food supplements are needed for 10,000
people.

Tel.: +41-22-917 12 34 Fax: +41-22-917 0023 E-mail:
ochagva at ...

In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10

Desk Officer: Ms. Merete Johansson - direct Tel.
+41-22-917 1694 Mr. Guido Galli - direct Tel.
+41-22-917 3171

Press contact: (in GVA) Ms. Elizabeth. Byrs - direct
Tel. +41-22-917 2653 (in NY) Ms. Stephanie Bunker -
direct Tel. + 1-917 367 5126

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International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent
Societies (IFRC)

Date: 23 Jun 2006 

Indonesia: Sulawesi floods and landslides Information
Bulletin No. 1

The Federation's mission is to improve the lives of
vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity.
It is the world's largest humanitarian organization
and its millions of volunteers are active in over 183
countries.

In Brief

This Bulletin is being issued for information only,
and reflects the situation and the information
available at this time. The Federation is not seeking
funding or other assistance from donors for this
operation at this time.

The Situation

Flash floods and landslides struck South Sulawesi
province at 2am local time on 20 June, triggered by
three days of continuous torrential rains. Eight
districts were inundated by the one to two metre high
floods that damaged houses and livelihoods, submerging
rice fields, overflowing fish ponds and killing
livestock: Bantaeng, Bulukumba, Gowa, Jeneponto, Luwuk
Utara, Selayar, Sinjai and Takalar. Of the eight
districts, Sinjai suffered the most damage, with the
Sinjai Tengah subdistrict still not accessible.
Statistics combined from the latest United Nations
Office for Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) field
situation report, which draws on local government
sources, and Indonesian Red Cross (Palang Merah
Indonesia or PMI) South Sulawesi chapter office
indicate the number of dead and missing, as well as
the number of damaged houses as follows:

Estimates from various sources within the country tend
to vary because of the early stage of the disaster,
exacerbated by poor communications with remote areas
that make it hard to pin down exact numbers. The PMI
adds on to these figures by reporting eight people are
seriously injured and 20 are slightly injured in
Sinjai district. Information from PMI also shows three
people are hospitalized in Bantaeng.

Search and rescue work continues even as the heavy
rains and floodwaters recede. Damages to roads, houses
and bridges mean affected areas can only be accessed
by boat, making the hunt for survivors increasingly
challenging. Along the riverbanks in the affected
areas, floodwaters have flattened traditional wooden
houses and left concrete buildings caked in mud. The
local government, supported by the PMI volunteers, the
military and police, continue their search for the
missing, focusing on rivers, riverbanks and coastal
areas, as many are suspected to have been swept into
the sea or waterways. The provincial coordinating unit
for disaster management (SATKORLAK PB) reports that
7,500 people are displaced across three affected
districts: 3,000 in Sinjai district, 3,000 in
Bulukumba district and 1,500 in Bantaeng district.
Media sources report difficulties in the food relief
effort as distributions are hampered by the
mountainous landscape and remote locations of many
villages. In the meantime, the government has begun to
repair the local electricity network. The floods have
damaged water pipelines and contaminated some of the
wells however, raising water and sanitation concerns.

Other than leading the search and rescue process,
various government bodies are distributing food,
water, tents, blankets, clothing and evacuation kits.
They are also mobilizing medical units, health
posts/centres and a surveillance team for emergency
sanitation in the affected areas. A delegation with
representatives from the national coordinating board
for disaster management (BAKORNAS PB) and ministries
of health and social affairs is visiting the disaster
area to monitor the emergency response.

For further information specifically related to this
operation please contact:

In Indonesia: Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), Mr. Arifin
M. Hadi (acting head of disaster management division);
mobile: (+62 811) 943952; telephone: (+62 21) 799 2325
ext. 222; email: arifinmhd at telkom.net

Federation country delegation in Indonesia: Latifur
Rahman (disaster management delegate); email:
latifur.rahman at ifrc.org; Mobile: +62 81 1826614;
phone: +62 21 79191841, fax: +62 21 79180905. Peter
Cameron (acting head of delegation); email:
peter.cameron at ifrc.org; phone: +62 2179191841, fax:
+62 21 79180905.

Federation secretariat in Geneva: Josse Gillijns,
Federation Secretariat, Geneva; email:
josse.gillijns at ifrc.org phone: +44 22 7304224, fax:
+41 22 7330395.

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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