Mercy Corps Prepares Emergency Response to Indonesia Earthquake and Tsunami

The global organization plans to provide essential supplies including water, food and hygiene kits

PALU, Indonesia — The global organization Mercy Corps is preparing an emergency response following the 7.4 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia, last week. According to the latest reports, more than 1,500 people have been killed and tens of thousands are displaced from their homes.

“Many people have now gone days without food or water and the population is becoming increasingly desperate,” says Jennifer Bielman, Indonesia Country Director for Mercy Corps. “Our teams on the ground have talked to people who would rather sleep under a sheet of plastic than risk going back inside. They are traumatized and scared to go home.”

Mercy Corps is preparing to provide essential supplies including urgently needed food, water and hygiene kits. The organization is assessing the scale of the need in collaboration with local authorities and other organizations to ensure it is able to effectively reach as many of the most-affected people as possible. Many rural areas are still inaccessible, and the extent of damage and needs in regions like Donggala is still unclear.

“We’re facing incredible logistical challenges,” says Bielman. “Damaged roads and bridges mean that it is incredibly difficult to move supplies out into the affected areas, in addition to the challenges of transporting fuel and other supplies to the island.”

Mercy Corps has been working in Indonesia for nearly 20 years. Its Indonesia Response Team is a group of seasoned emergency responders accustomed to deploying quickly to assess damage from emergencies and working swiftly to connect people with what they need most. Mercy Corps’ Indonesia team is also still responding to the earthquake response in Lombok, which displaced 20,000 people.

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