Emergency Response

Blog Post:  Posted April 6, 2010, 5:23 pm by Dan Sadowsky

Earthquake in Sumatra

Country: Indonesia

Topics: Emergencies

Yesterday's 7.7-magnitude earthquake about 125 miles off the coast of northern Sumatra caused surprisingly little damage.

Our staff in Aceh and in West Sumatra provinces felt the quake. One staff member in the coastal city of Padang, 400 miles from the epicenter, reported a "long but mild shake."

Our country director in Indonesia, Sean Granville-Ross, reported several hours ago that, "Based on the information that we have gathered today from our staff and network, information from the Government National Disaster Management Agency and UNOCHA, Mercy Corps Indonesia will not be responding to this earthquake. The damages are very limited and then numbers of casualties are very small. Thankfully we were lucky this time."

Our Indonesian team has responded to two earthquakes in Sumatra since the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami — one in Bengkulu in September 2007 and another in Padang in October 2009.

Posted September 22, 2009 by Roger Burks

Helping Survivors on Earthquake-Rattled Java

Country: Indonesia

Topics: Emergencies

In the aftermath of a major earthquake that struck the Indonesian island of Java and killed at least 64 people has assessed needs and is delivering aid to survivors.

We're concentrating on many ways to help survivors, including health and nutrition efforts. On September 18, we distributed a week's supply of drinking water to 333 households in one of the most-devastated areas. We're continuing to focus on other affected areas where the clean water supply has been interrupted, placing families at risk for illness. Our teams have also reached out to microfinance institutions, which serve the needs of many small businesses in the earthquake zone, to see how we can help them rebuild and begin serving clients once again.

You can help us speed relief and other assistance to disaster survivors with a donation to our emergency response efforts.

The 7.3-magnitude earthquake, which devastated villages on Wednesday and was strongly felt in Indonesia’s capital of Jakarta, buried homes and injured at least 400 people. The toll continues to rise, and the needs of survivors are many.

Mercy Corps sent a three-person assessment team to the most-affected areas within 24 hours of the earthquake, and immediately began to work alongside international, local and governmental organisations in a coordinated response. You can read an on-the-ground account from one of our emergency responders here.

“There are reports of problems with drinking water and sanitation,” said Sean Granville-Ross, Mercy Corps Indonesia Country Director. “And those reports are also showing large numbers of houses and schools destroyed or damaged, so there will be a need for reconstruction.”

Mercy Corps Indonesia’s headquarters is located in Jakarta, and we work throughout many cities and towns on Java. Our staff — all of whom are accounted for — numbers more than 80 on the island.

Our disaster response in Indonesia has been widespread, quick and efficient: over the last several years, we’ve rushed lifesaving assistance to survivors of the Indian Ocean tsunami, severe flooding in Jakarta and two earthquakes that shook the region.

Today, we’re counting on you to help us mount another response for families who have lost everything. Please donate to speed relief now.

Posted April 10, 2009

Life, Interrupted

Country: Central African Republic

Topics: Conflict & War, Disability, Displacement, Economic Development, Emergencies

Luc Mbarte was awoken by shouting outside his house on the night of May 2, 2007. Seven armed bandits had entered his village, Bokoyan, under the cover of night.

Bokayan, in the largely lawless northwest region of Central African Republic, was a particular target for well-organised gangs taking advantage of the choas caused by years of rebellion and civil unrest. Groups of bandits worked with local informants to target families that could afford to pay large ransoms for kidnapped loved ones. Luc was certain that his name was on the list because he owned cattle, a farm and a small blacksmithing business.

Aware of the dangers facing them, Luc and his family desperately fled into a wooded area nearby to seek the cover of darkness until the bandits left town. These armed men had been here three months earlier and, luckily, he and his family had escaped just in time.

But this this time, Luc was not so lucky. His family was able to find cover in the bush, but he was captured by the bandits. The armed men were very upset that he had fled during their first robbery attempt — and more upset by the fact that the rest of his family had gotten away that night and could not be ransomed.

They shot Luc at close range. He dropped to the ground and feigned death while they looted his house and took a number of his cattle. When he believed they had left, he dragged himself up and sought help. Luc's injuries were severe: a bullet had entered into his side, torn through his rib cage and exited through his stomach doing serious internal damage.

His friends pushed him 20 km along a dirt road in a cart before finding a motorcycle to take him the remaining 20 km to the closest hospital in the city Bouar. His family made their way from the village to rejoin him the next night, their only belongings the clothes on their backs.

Luc stayed in the hospital for two and a half months. He required three blood transfusions and a very difficult surgery. In order to pay the large medical bills he used what little money he had left but quickly depended on local friends and family in Bouar to help. In his absence, his home was looted and his remaining animals taken leaving his family with nothing. The debilitating injuries have left Luc unable to work — today his family struggles to keep food on the table, everyone in good health and the children in school.

Mercy Corps is assisting Mbarte family and more than 400 other vulnerable families in this troubled area of Central African Republic through a cash-for-work project supported by the of the Gates Foundation-funded Global Food Crisis Response Programme. Nearly a quarter of participating families have fled violence and banditry in their villages, arriving in Bouar with no food, shelter or livelihood.

Mercy Corps is providing participating families with monetary assistance during the difficult dry season in exchange for providing day labour for local construction projects — building and repairing public infrastructure like bridges, paths and roads. Luc’s oldest son Hibert is helping rehabilitate local roads. The Mbartes are using the money Hibert earns each day to eat properly, as well as keep several children in school.

Though this programme helps the short term needs of families the Mbartes, many challenges remain. Luc's family cannot return to their home in Bokayan because of continuing insecurity and Luc’s ongoing medical needs. Luc is educated, committed and has experience to run a successful business, but needs capital to start again from scratch. His story is repeated in hundreds of families around this part of Central African Republic.

Mercy Corps will continue to work with families like the Mbartes — with generous support from the Gates Foundation — to develop lasting solutions to these problems, as well as encouraging peace in one of the world's most dangerous places.

Posted November 24, 2008

Helping Honduras

Country: Honduras

Topics: Emergencies

Floodwaters have mostly receded, but Mercy Corps continues to deliver food and emergency supplies to families displaced by the most destructive tropical storm to hit Honduras in a decade.

We're helping restart agricultural production by distributing corn and bean seeds to 1,300 farmers — enough to plant 2,300 acres worth of food crops lost due to torrential rains.

Getting farmers back to work is critical to meeting the nutritional needs of Honduran families. The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that 320,000 people are affected by intense rainfall that has led to conditions aid workers compare to Hurricane Mitch, which killed more than 5,000 people in 1998.

Although the number of deaths in this disaster has been much less — 60 people — the flooding has been worse, according to Chet Thomas, Mercy Corps' representative in Honduras and director of Proyecto Aldea Global (PAG). Across Honduras, more than 70,000 people are in need of shelter and the number in need of food assistance is increasing, according to the UN. Devastating crop losses have been reported.

An Immediate Response

Our emergency response has included distribution of basic food supplies, critical medicines and health kits, blankets for children and adults, soap and shelter canvases to more than 3,000 families who've lost their homes, crops and livestock.

We continue to distribute mattresses, hygiene supplies and medical kits to affected families.

PAG and Mercy Corps are also beginning work to repair more than 70 community water systems that were severely damaged by flooding and landslides. We're helping deliver clean water to more than 50,000 people through our partnership with ITT Watermark. Two village-scale water-purification systems on loan from ITT are delivering up to 6,800 liters of potable water an hour each until municipal water is restored. Mercy Corps is an ITT Watermark emergency response partner, which includes a three-year, $1 million commitment from ITT to help provide safe water during water-related emergencies such as floods, hurricanes and cyclones.

A History of Helping

Mercy Corps has worked in Honduras since 1982 — longer than anywhere of the nearly 40 countries where we currently work. Many of our programmes directed by our 140-person staff are in and around Comayagua, an area severely affected by the rains. There, we're serving 400 communities through a network of community pharmacies, helping improve schools and reducing the incidence of domestic violence.

We also responded with assistance after Hurricane Mitch, making replanting crops a priority so farmers wouldn't miss an entire season.

Posted November 3, 2008

Rushing Medical Aid to Earthquake Survivors

Country: Pakistan

Topics: Emergencies

Mercy Corps is rushing medical aid and emergency supplies to isolated villages affected by last week's 6.4-magnitude earthquake in western Pakistan, which killed at least 215 people and left about 120,000 people homeless in the remote province of Balochistan.

Our staff on the ground in affected areas report urgent needs for blankets, tents and continuing medical assistance. We've already treated hundreds of survivors, including 620 people over a three-day stretch at the end of last week. Your help is essential to speed more medicine and medical staff to treat families recovering from the quake.

The 6.4-magnitude tremor hit Balochistan early on the morning of October 29, triggering landslides that instantly buried hundreds of homes. The initial earthquake has been followed by dozens of aftershocks — some as large as 6.2-magnitude tremors — causing even more damage.

Our team in Quetta, the closest major city to the most affected areas, deployed immediately after the earthquake: two Mercy Corps ambulances with doctors and paramedics reached the earthquake zone, each filled with medical supplies, water and dry food rations. Within hours, we established a 10-bed emergency health post near the quake's epicenter.

Treatment of the injured population began right away at our medical post in the town of Kawas, situated among mountains in the most affected area. We've established our regional emergency response centre in Kawas, while deploying two mobile teams to the devastated towns of Ahmedoon and Tangi to care for injured survivors in those places. On November 1, our medical team expanded its operations to the village of Rodgyan.

Over a three-day period at the end of last week, we consulted and treated 620 people in these towns. This includes 78 surgical procedures that ranged from stitches to setting splints for multiple fractures. Our medical teams continue to see and treat dozens of people each day.

Temperatures are very low in the region — and even more extreme temperatures are expected as winter approaches — so the primary material needs reported are blankets, warm clothes and sturdy tents. Your support is critical as we focus our efforts in some of Pakistan's poorest and most isolated areas.

Posted October 13, 2008 by Bob Ham

Helping Quake Survivors

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Topics: Emergencies

Mercy Corps is helping house families left homeless after an Oct. 5 earthquake struck Kyrgyzstan's mountainous Alai Region.

Emergency responders from the agency are procuring supplies to convert recycled shipping containers into mobile homes, using expertise gained in renovating schools and other buildings in the Central Asian nation. These shelters will be insulated, fitted with stoves for cooking and heating and will allow families to stay close to their villages so they can look after their crops and livestock.

The tremor in a sparsely populated area near Kyrgyzstan's border with China left 74 dead and displaced more than 200 families, according to Kyrgyz authorities. Mercy Corps will help the government convert at least 10 shipping containers into temporary homes — especially critical to protect quake survivors as winter weather sets in.

Posted September 4, 2008 by Roger Burks

Behind the Lines

Country: Georgia

Topics: Emergencies, Economic Development

Nearly a month after hostilities erupted that forced almost 160,000 people from their homes, thousands of Georgian families are still displaced. Most of them cannot return to their houses — or even their villages — because of the wreckage, military positions and ethnic tensions. And now, as the warm summer months come quickly to an end, there are concerns about lack of shelter for frigid winter.

Mercy Corps has been responding to the needs of Georgian families since the crisis began. We were among the first agencies to reach the war-devastated city of Gori and are currently the only international non-governmental organisation conducting operations behind Russian military lines. So far, we've delivered emergency food rations and hygiene supplies to more than 10,000 displaced people. This includes distributions to nearly every camp and public building where families are taking refuge in Gori.

You can help us show that the world hasn't forgotten about them, even as the headlines have faded.

Because of the widespread damage — apartment buildings destroyed, farms pillaged, homes looted and burned — there are real uncertainties about what families will do. Enormous needs for food and other critical supplies remain. In the coming days, we will also distribute cots, mattresses, sleeping bags and blankets to camps and shelters.

Mercy Corps Senior Programme Officer Rich Ormond is on the ground in Georgia, and took some time to answer some questions about the current situation and our team's work.

Q: What are you seeing right now?

Rich Ormond: There is relative calm. Russian forces have pulled back to positions north of Gori, just outside of South Ossetia. The movement of displaced families seems to be decreasing now, as most of them have determined where they're going to take refuge for now. These families are, however, living in either tent camps or public buildings in and around Gori. And these places are overcrowded.

What is an average camp like?

They're changing by the day. The first camp that sprang up now has more than 1,400 people. Since our first visit, a second camp has been started. Families are living in tents, but have access to reasonable services — hot meals, clean water and latrines — that have been provided by our colleague agencies and the local government.

The families that are taking shelter in public buildings are in much worse shape. In some places, there are 40 families — or more — living in a space with only one toilet.

How are things in the security buffer zone behind Russian military lines?

Those in the buffer zone are mostly people who stayed behind through the fighting — including the elderly and infirmed. There have also been a significant number of men who have returned to collect the harvest, since this is their source of income. However, there's a lot of unexploded ammunition and mines in these farms and villages, and so people are scared. There's also violence against ethnic Georgians and looting within the buffer zones. Families there are relying on Russian troops for their security.

Mercy Corps is currently the only international non-governmental organisation doing work in the buffer zone. We've developed a rapport with Russian posts that allow us to gain access and move around in these areas. As a result, we've been conducting assessments of isolated villages and delivering hygiene supplies to families who've stayed there.

What are Mercy Corps' plans for the next few weeks?

We are continuing to focus on the immediate needs of displaced families, but will also focus on restoring economic livelihoods. One way we're planning on doing this is by distributing vouchers worth one month's salary to families. That way, they can buy the supplies they need while putting money back into local economies. We hope that will help stimulate recovery.

The relief phase is ending; now we need to work with families on their transition to returning home.

With your help, we can help displaced families weather the current conflict and begin rebuilding their lives. Please make an immediate contribution to our Emergency Response Fund.

Posted July 1, 2008

Food for North Korea's Families

Country: North Korea

Topics: Hunger, Emergencies, Children

Mercy Corps is taking the lead in a yearlong distribution of 100,000 metric tons of food to quell rampant hunger in North Korea.

We have been asked by the U.S. government to spearhead a partnership of five non-governmental organisations (NGOs) including World Vision, Samaritan's Purse, Christian Friends of Korea and Global Resource Services that will implement a major food assistance programme for North Korean families. Distribution of the food aid — provided by the U.S. government and funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) Food for Peace programme — is taking place over the course of twelve months beginning in June 2008. Alongside our partner organisations, we will monitor the distribution of food such as corn, wheat, vegetable oils and beans through schools, orphanages and other institutions.

North Korea has been teetering on the verge of widespread hunger for years, and children are most affected: according to a recent survey from the World Food Programme and UNICEF, at least 37 percent of children are chronically malnourished and fully one-third of mothers are malnourished and suffer from anemia.

The situation is growing worse because of many factors: floods that devastated harvests last year, trade issues with neighboring China and the global food crisis. These factors have combined to double the prices of staple foods in North Korea's capital, Pyongyang. And, today, another shortage of food looms for the country; experts estimate that this year could be North Korea's worst food deficit since 2001.

Our food distribution programmes are expected to reach more than 900,000 people — primarily children, the elderly and the extremely poor — in two provinces. We will have staff residing in North Korea to visit families, monitor distribution and assess impact.

Since 1996, Mercy Corps has promoted cross-cultural exchange and worked with the country's vulnerable families and communities to help meet health and nutritional needs, as well as collaborate on long-term agricultural and economic solutions. Our late co-founder, Ells Culver, reached out to the North Korean people in the aftermath of drought, flooding and food shortages. That cooperation was strengthened last year when we hand-delivered £8 million of medicines for flood survivors, and earlier this year when we received a USAID grant to install emergency generators and medical equipment in six county hospitals.

This food distribution initiative is an unprecedented opportunity to help the people of North Korea improve food security and meet their emergency needs. We will keep you updated on the programme's progress over the year to come.

Your gift to our Emergency Response fund will help us deliver assistance to even more families in some of the world's most challenging places.

Generations of Displacement:

Posted October 31, 2007 by Jeremy Barnicle

After Twenty Years, Almost Home

Country: Uganda

Topics: Peaceful Change, Emergencies, Economic Development, Displacement, Conflict & War

Oyere, Uganda - John Bosco Akello is an important leader in this village — deputy chief, pastor, model farmer — at a time when leadership is vitally important.

Displaced from their ancestral land for almost 20 years by fighting between the Ugandan military and the insurgent Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), John Bosco and his people are finally heading home.

In the hardest years of the conflict, people like John Bosco fled to cities or massive displacement camps. The camps and cities offered relative security from the LRA, but they were overcrowded and chaotic and led to a whole new set of problems.

Close quarters and bad sanitation meant communicable diseases spread from home to home like hot gossip. Lifelong farmers found themselves trying to find work fixing cars or hawking goods on the side of the road. Schools were overflowing with kids — in fact, I never met a family in northern Uganda with fewer than four children — so students struggled to learn in packed-tight classrooms or they stopped going to school altogether.

"The kids couldn't concentrate on anything," John Bosco says. "The camp school was very hard on them."

Progress

Negotiations between the government and the LRA haven't yet yielded a peace agreement, but the LRA withdrew from northern Uganda in late 2006 and people finally feel safe moving closer to home.

And that's how the village of Oyere was born. All over northern Uganda, families are leaving the huge "mother camps" of the war years and moving to transitional villages like Oyere, whose 1068 residents all originally come from within a mile or so of here.

"Just about all the families here are actually working on their own land, even if they haven't moved back to their original homes," John Bosco says. "That's my family's land over there," he notes, pointing toward the south.

To help these long-displaced families move home, Mercy Corps is investing heavily in Ugandan transit villages like Oyere.

The agency trains five female hygiene promotion officers per village, who teach mothers how to keep their families healthy, and then funds the construction of permanent latrines and water bore holes to maintain sanitary conditions.

Roads for tomorrow - and cash for today

The 50 or so most vulnerable households nominate a family member to participate in "cash-for-work" programmes in which Mercy Corps pays workers a day-wage to complete basic infrastructure projects — roads, embankments — that the community sees as a priority.

"We are building two roads: one that gets us better access to the market so we can sell our crops and one that makes it safe for our kids to walk to school," John Bosco says. "This will make the situation here much better."

The returning farmers — who have nothing, after years in the city or the camps — are equipped with seeds and shared tools, so they can make productive the land that has lain fallow for almost two decades.

"We've got hope now — I am 100 percent that the situation will be better for my kids than it is right now," John Bosco says, surrounded by his four children, and he turns around and heads back to his fields.

You can help courageous, hopeful people like John Bosco continue to rebuild their lives — and return home — by making a generous donation to our Emergency Response Fund.