Oxfam is supporting the Humanitarian Knowledge Hub (JMK) in responding to the earthquake which hit Cianjur and Sukabumi in Indonesia last week. The partners have started distributing basic sanitation kits to displaced people.
The earthquake has killed at least 323 people, damaged more than 62,628 buildings in Cianjur and around 443 others in Sukabumi and caused a major power outage across both districts.
“Nearly half a million people living on the main Indonesian island of Java have been impacted. Accessing the impacted area is difficult because a landslide has covered the main road. With the spirit of Local Humanitarian Leadership, Oxfam is supporting the local government in responding to the situation through our local partners who have been in the impacted area since 22 November 2022,” said Siti Khoirun Ni’mah, Head of Programme Management of Oxfam in Indonesia.
Oxfam is working closely with the Indonesian Women’s Coalition (KPI) Garut, one of the members of JMK, doing an immediate assessment of what people need most urgently to cope. Our assessment will focus especially on the needs of women, children and people with disabilities in the area.
“Many of the victims are women and children. Buildings suddenly collapsed, trapping many of them inside. We will act as fast as possible to help in rescue efforts now underway, and to provide aid and services to the most vulnerable people, who will be affected both physically and emotionally,” sai Mike Verawati, the Director of KPI.
JMK plans to provide 5,000 of the most vulnerable people with basic shelter and sanitation services, with equipment mobilized from its nearest warehouse in Kediri, East Java.
“Indonesia is prone to natural disasters, and this is another reminder that the humanitarian system needs always to be prepared, including with early warning systems, so we can minimize the impact on women and children who are always the most vulnerable to crises such as this,” added Verawati.