Indonesia Tsunami Appeal - how you can help...

A 7-year-old injured boy, whose mother and young sister remain missing, receives treatment after strong earthquake on October 1, 2018 in Palu, Indonesia. Over 844 people have been confirmed dead after a tsunami triggered by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake slammed into Indonesia's coastline on the island of Sulawesi, causing thousands of homes to collapse, along with hospitals, hotels and shopping centers. (Photo by The Asahi Shimbun/The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images).



A powerful earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on 28 September and triggered a terrifying tsunami, leaving behind a trail of destruction.

Tens of thousands of homes have been destroyed and entire communities have been decimated. More than 1,400 people are confirmed dead and 200,000 survivors are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

DEC member charities and their partners are working closely with the Indonesian authorities and are providing food, clean water, first aid and shelter, as well as helping survivors to cope with the trauma of the last few days.

You can support this DEC appeal with your Stewardship giving account (Search for DEC) or by calling or emailing the giving services team with your request.

Let’s save the survivors. A 400-mile-an-hour tsunami also kills slowly.

What we know so far:

Up to 1.5 million people who live in the area may have been affected. So far, 70,000 people are estimated to have been displaced and the death toll has surpassed 1,400. As rescuers struggle to reach outlying communities, authorities fear that casualties and the number of people displaced by the disaster will rise in the coming days.

The full impact of the devastating earthquake and tsunami, which also triggered many landslides, is only now emerging as the hardest-hit areas are yet to be reached. Up to 1.5 million people may be affected by the disaster, and about 200,000 people are confirmed to be in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, a quarter of whom are children.

The homes of hundreds of thousands of people in the main towns and as many as 1,000 villages are believed to have been destroyed or severely damaged. Many schools, hospitals, bridges, places of worship and shopping malls have been damaged or collapsed. Power and communication lines have been brought down, many roads are impassable, and some airports are out of action hampering search and rescue and relief efforts.

How you can help:

Thousands of families are in desperate need of food and drinking water, medicine and medical help, as well as tents and tarpaulin to make emergency shelters. As the local rainy season approaches, there is a pressing need to help those who are vulnerable such as the elderly, children, people with disabilities, and pregnant women.

• £5 could provide a survivor with clean water
• £10 could provide washing soap for a family for a month
• £30 could provide emergency shelter for one family
• £50 could provide a family with food for a month
• £100 could help build toilet and washing facilities for a family

What has the Christian response been?

A number of Christian aid agencies are members of the DEC and are already responding to these urgent needs:

CAFOD is present in affected areas through its Caritas partner, which will focus on providing generators, lighting equipment, body bags, food items for babies and children, and setting up public kitchens, alongside the provision of clean water, medicine and temporary shelters.

Christian Aid will provide health services, tarpaulins, blankets, food items and tents through its local partner.

Tearfund’s partner in Indonesia has deployed medical assistance and will focus on provision of drinking water, medicine, food, tarpaulin and blankets. They will set up a soup house and provide food for infants and children.

World Vision staff have already begun meeting the needs of children and families who have lost everything. Pre-positioned supplies are in place and additional shelter kits, tarpaulins, blankets and mats have been dispatched. Emergency infant feeding has already been provided to a number of mothers in the most affected areas.

• You can support this DEC appeal with your Stewardship giving account (Search for DEC) or by calling or emailing the giving services team with your request.