Relief Fund for Indonesia Tsunami's victims
Topic: Send Donations

In the aftermath of the earthquake and the ensuing tsunami off the coast of Sumatra, the Indonesian Catholics (PWKI) of Chicagoland has set up a relief fund to help the victims in the affected areas on the west coast of Sumatra.

If you would like to assist the victims and their families through monetary contribution, please send your donation to:

Indonesian Relief Fund
St Therese Church
218 W. Alexander Street
Chicago, IL 60616
(Check or MO payable to St. Therese Church
Memo line: Indonesian Relief Fund)

The intent of the fund is to assist the areas that are not easily accessible or have received less coverage from the mass media.We have established direct contacts with several of our Catholic Brothers and Sisters in Aceh and North Sumatra provinces, specifically in Lhokseumawe and the island of Nias. They have been providing direct relief support for the tsunami's victims in those areas.

The donation will be sent to our Brothers & Sisters in multiple phases. The first phase will be distributed on Monday 10 January 2005.

Weblogs about our contacts & dialogs can be viewed on Father Eko's humanitarian webpage:
https://prasetyocm.tripod.com/kemanusiaan/ (in Bahasa Indonesia & English)
https://prasetyocm.tripod.com/aceh/ (in English)

This relief effort is coordinated under supervision of:
Father Robertus "Jack" Widjanarko, CM (773-325-8714 yrnang@hotmail.com)
Father Evaristus "Eko" Prasetyo, CM (773-325-8743 prasetyocm@lycos.com)
Father Eddy Putranto, OSC (773-684-6975, eddyput@yahoo.com)



Please forward this information to those who might be interested in supporting the Tsunami victim.

We thank you for your continuing prayer and support.

Indonesian Catholics in Chicagoland
Email info@pwki.org

News from CRS in Banda Aceh

Slow Start for an American Agency That Is Hemmed In, as Many Are, by Logistics
By ERIC LIPTON


BANDA ACEH, Indonesia, Wednesday, Jan. 5 - They have a fleet of S.U.V.'s, each labeled with a large window sticker to note the arrival of Catholic Relief Services in this battered city. They have opened a headquarters and hired drivers, laborers, even a cook.

But 10 days after a wall of water destroyed half of this city, workers from Catholic Relief Services, based in Baltimore, have still not delivered any direct aid here. That is a source of frustration. But it is also a demonstration of the great difficulty of setting up a relief operation in such a remote location, at the western edge of Indonesia, which until recently had been off limits for most American aid groups because of fighting between the government and separatists.

"Stress and frustration is what makes things happen," said Wayne Ulrich, who serves as the C.R.S. emergency assistance coordinator in Indonesia, acknowledging his disappointment with the pace of progress. "The more you are concerned, the faster things will get done."

Catholic Relief Services arrived in Banda Aceh with a modest goal: deliver about 740 "family packs" - which include a mattress, pots, soap, toothbrushes - to some of the hundreds of thousands of people left homeless in this lush mountainous province. The packs are just a small part of the $25 million effort the agency is undertaking in India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. As of Wednesday, the kits were still in Jakarta.

Various ways that C.R.S. has considered to get the family kits to Banda Aceh and then into the surrounding areas have failed.

At first, the agency considered putting them on a military flight or accepting an offer from an international courier company to fly them to a small airport here. Both options were rejected because the charity's officials could not get guarantees that the kits would be given to families that were really in need.

Mr. Ulrich also proposed flying the kits from Jakarta, where they were assembled, to Medan, the largest city in the region, and then delivering them the final distance to Aceh by truck. But that idea was also abandoned, in part because of concern that there might not be enough fuel.

That has left several employees with little to do but set up the office. "I want to do something that helps," said one, Nasharuddin, 31, who uses only one name. "I feel guilty. All of these displaced people, but we have no capacity."

Catholic Relief Services is certainly not the only charity to get off to a slow start. But some groups already have made a major contribution to the growing response.

The International Organization for Migration, which is based in Geneva, working with the United States Agency for International Development, has assembled 32 trucks that have been moving tens of thousands of pounds of food, which has been lifted by American helicopters to devastated communities.
Oxfam, the international group that was founded in Britain, has started building new water systems and toilets in certain neighborhoods. Doctors Without Borders has a crew working from a helicopter. Mercy Corps, based in Oregon, has also been delivering trucks of food.

Part of the reason supplies and aid have been provided by some but not other organizations has to do with their fundamental orientation. Doctors Without Borders, for example, routinely flies physicians into disasters on short notice.
Catholic Relief Services is also an emergency response outfit, but its primary role is to provide long-term services to combat AIDS, hunger and other needs in places afflicted by poverty, war or natural disaster.

A lack of familiarity with the Aceh region has also slowed the group's startup. The International Organization for Migration was able to deliver food quickly because it already had large offices in Banda Aceh and Medan. Its staff of 21 here was immediately reassigned to disaster relief when the tsunami hit, said Mariees de la Cruz, a local representative.

"Far and away, they are the best organized right now in terms of getting assistance out," said Michael Balk, of the Agency for International Development, who was helping arrange the delivery of food.

Published: January 5, 2005

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/05/international/worldspecial4/05mission.html

A letter from the Crisis and Reconciliation Service of the Bishops' Conference of Indonesia
Topic: Send Donations
Pelayanan Krisis dan Rekonsiliasi
KONFERENSI WALIGEREJA INDONESIA
(PKR-KWI)
Jl. Cut Mutiah 10, Jakarta 10340, HP +62816978828


January 1, 2005

Dear Prospective Donor,

You have heard and seen through the media the massive impact of the
earthquake and tsunami disaster in northwestern Sumatra on December 26,
2004. Indonesia, along with other countries on the Indian Ocean, has
suffered terrible loss of life and damage in one of the world's worst
natural disasters in at least 40 years. According to the Jakarta Post of
December 31, 2004, almost 5 million people have been forcibly displaced and
the death toll has reached 79,000. The death toll is expected to exceed
100,000 in Indonesia alone.

How do we translate this knowledge into effective compassion?

The Crisis and Reconciliation Service of the Bishops' Conference of
Indonesia is responding by accepting an outpouring of donations of money,
food, supplies, and time from generous people throughout Indonesia and
beyond. Within days, thanks to scores of volunteers and coordinated
effort, seven trucks full of food, medicine and clothes went to Aceh, a
small beginning. As the dimensions of the tragedy in terms of human loss,
suffering, and destruction become clearer, we need to plan well for an
ongoing, long-term response. We continue to receive expressions of love
and solidarity in the form of goods, medicine, equipment and money. As you
know, much, much more is needed. We ask you to be as generous as you can.
We are resolved that your gift reach those most in need in a
well-coordinated, direct, and transparent way. We promise that your gift
will give hope to those whose lives have been changed irrevocably by this
tragedy.

Please send your gift to:

(USD Account)
ABN AMRO BANK
Jl. Ir. H. Juanda 23
Jakarta Pusat
Indonesia
Acc. No: 13.21.218 USD
Destination: KWI
Swift Code: ABNAIDJA
Purpose: Crisis Center - I. Ismartono, SJ

Thank you. May God bless your generosity in 2005. We thank God for you.



Fr. Ignatius Ismartono, SJ
Coordinator, Crisis and Reconciliation Service
Bishops' Conference of Indonesia

Addresses for Donations
Topic: Send Donations


Some Alternative Addresses to donate for Aceh:


1. The SCMM Community in Lhokseumawe, Aceh
Susteran SCMM Stella Matutina
Jl. Sukaramai Lorong Buana 13
Lhokseumawe 24314 Aceh Utara
Telp. : (0645) 42757
Contact Name: Sr. Elvira Ndururu, SCMM

donations via Bank
Bank: Lippo cabang Lhokseumawe
Acc.No: 752-10-21781-6
Memo: Tsunami Emergency - Aceh


2. The CMM Community in Gunung Sitoli, Nias Island
Frateran CMM St. Andreas Jl. Karet 33 C Gunung Sitoli
22185 Pulau Nias - SumUt
Telp. : (0639) 21813

donations via Bank
Bank: BRI Gunung Sitoli
Name: Dionisius Lamere, CMM
Acc.No #: 0176-01-005727-50-9
Memo: Tsunami Emergency - Aceh


3. The OSF Community in Gunung Lampu, Nias Island
Susteran OSF "Beata Angela "
Jl Yos Sudarso Komp Laverna
Telp : 0639 - 21368
HP : 0815 332 79519
Kotak Pos 1, Gunungsitoli 22812
Nias - Sumut - Indonesia
Contact person: Sr. M Klara Duha, OSF

donations via Bank
Bank: BNI Cabang Gunung Sitoli
Acc.No: 032.000291203.901
Memo: Tsunami Emergency - Aceh


4. The Archdiocese of Medan
Jl. Imam Bonjol 39 Medan 20152
Telp: (061) 4570353; 061-456647, 4519768 Fax (061) 4145745
Contact person: Fr. P Budi (phone: 061-8361249)
Email: kasih_kam@yahoo.com

donations via Bank
Bank: Bank Mandiri Cabang Imam Bonjol
Acc.No: 105-00-0457434-3.
Memo: Tsunami Emergency - Aceh



5. CRS (Catholic Relief Service)
To contribute to CRS, send donations to:
Catholic Relief Services
P.O. Box 17090
Baltimore, MD 21203-7090
Memo line: Tsunami Emergency - Indonesia
1-877-HELP-CRS (435-7277)
1-410-625-2220 Jeff Lambert


6. JRS (Jesuit Refugee Service)
Jl. Sei Bahorok 16/93, Kel. Babura, Kec. Medan Baru, Medan 21054,
telp/fax : 061-4152224.
Contact person: Fr. Edi Mulyono, SJ (edi@jogjabox.com)

donations via Bank
Bank: BCA Sudirman, Yogyakarta,
Name: Yayasan JRS Indonesia
Acc.No.: 0372 197 101.
Memo: Tsunami Emergency - Aceh


7. The KWI (Indonesian Bishop Conference) Crisis Center

KWI Crisis Center
Jl. Cut Meutia 10, Jakarta 10340
Contact person: Fr.Ismartono, SJ (ismartono@provindo.org; phone: 081-697-8828)

donations via Bank
Bank: BRI Cabang Cut Mutiah
Acc.No: 0230 01 00046630 4.
Memo: Tsunami Emergency - Aceh

News From CRS
Situation Reports
Indonesia Aceh Tsunami/Earthquake

From: Yenni Suryani
Date: January 1, 2005
Time: 20:00

General Situation
? Total casualties reported January 1, 2005 is 79,940 people (1,237 missing)
? 75% of the electricity and telephone lines have been active now in Banda Aceh.
? Some restaurants and markets are in operation in Banda Aceh, although most of the displaced people are still concentrated in the shelters and wait for assistance.
? In North Aceh it is reported that many homeless people start to get diarrhea, coughs and skin diseases.
? Meulaboh airport in the western coast of Aceh has already been able for landing. Cessna Caravan has flew in for 4 times
? Lack of coordination is still visible in the distribution of assistance. Lacks of fuel and transportation means worsen the assistance distribution.
? Activities to clear roads from mud and rubbles and to collect and bury corpses are still underway.
? A local TV station Metro TV crew however managed to get to the hardest-hit area of Aceh Jaya (12/31) where some 15,000 people were dead.
? Another TV station Trans-TV has distributed assistance to the victims in the ruined Meulaboh (12/31)

Displacement:
According to Ministry of Health Data, number of IDPs until December 31, 2004 at 2400 hours are 126.302. There are three main IDP camps in Banda Aceh. MSF has begun operations by giving consultations in one of the camps. The team is continuing to assess Banda Aceh. GOI is going to provide the following items for the IDPs assistance on January 1, 2005:
- 3 units of trucks for drinking water supplies, each has 4000 liter capacity
- 136 units of knocked-down toilets
- 50 units general hydrants
- 27 units tent 6X14 m
- 10 units of tents 4X10 m
- 100,000 plastic bags
- 20 units water pumps

Government Priorities
? The GOI has established health service center in Banda Aceh, Sigli, Meulaboh and Aceh Timur, by coordinating with TNI (Indonesian Military) and also health team from Singapore and Australia
? Special medical team for Meulaboh consisting of 32 nurses and 14 doctors were sent on December 30. This team will be stationed in Meulaboh for 2 weeks using a C130 aircraft as health clinic
? Transportation Dept is focused on clearing the roads and opening access to Banda Aceh by sending 8 units of excavators, 2 units of bulldozers and 2 units of loaders. For now road access has improved by 60%.
? The government will prioritize some short-term crucial steps: saving as many survivors as possible, searching for survivors, treating of those injured and sick people in hospitals, supplying of adequate medicines, taking care of orphans, IDPs management and supplying of food, medicines and shelters for the victims and rehabilitation and reconstruction.
? Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare, assisted by the Army chief of Staff will be stationed in Banda Aceh to deal with the crisis and coordinate relief efforts, while the Governor of North Sumatra will coordinate supplies/ support to be sent to the affected Aceh. Ministry of Social Affairs will stay in severely-hit Meulaboh.
? Indonesia will host a summit on dealing with the Asian quake. 23 countries will attend the summit.
? President Yudhoyono will fly today to Meulaboh to monitor closely the relief efforts.

Food and Medical supplies
? The Government of Indonesia says it has enough food and medicines for survivors but the distribution faces difficulty due to minimum road access especially to hardest-hit areas like Meulaboh, Jaya and Aceh Barat.
? People's abundant assistance in forms of food, medicines, non-food items in major cities across the country has yet to be transported to Aceh due to limited transport means.
? The most needy items including: antibiotic supplies and ambulances (for Sigli district hospital); Emergency Shelters/tents; Ready-to-eat food; Medicine supplies; generator set; Handy Talkie; Masks; Gloves; Body bags

CRS activities
? The CRS team flew along with MSF team (10 people) today, January 1, 2005 to Banda Aceh
? Another team flew to Medan to set up logistical base to support the response in Aceh and, possibly, in some areas of North Sumatra affected by the disaster. The Team has met with the Archdiocese of Medan Emergency response team and JRS Regional Director Father Andre who already arrived from Bangkok on Thursday.
? A meeting with the Cardinal has been set up for Monday, January 3, 2005 to be attended by Regional Director Mark Pierce, Emergency Response Team Leader Pat Johns and Country Representative Jonathan Evans. CRS is in the process of setting up a meeting with the Nuncio who is currently in Banda Aceh and who will return to Jakarta on Monday.
? Report from Aceh team at 8 p.m today: with things moving along, and coordination and mapping meetings taking place everyday among the INGOs and others, additional CRS staff with expertise in logistic/food, health/nutrition and water & sanitation are en route to Indonesia.

Others

Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Dead// Missing
Districts: 79,667// 3,595
Aceh Besar 14,000
Pulau Aceh 4,000
Banda Aceh 18000 -
Aceh Jaya 20.500 -
Kota Calang 5,000 -
Aceh Barat (Meulaboh) 14,800 -
Aceh Utara 1,187// 443
Aceh Timur 224// 5
Aceh Selatan 6
Bireun 594
Pidie(Sigli) 1,359 -
Loksumawe 86// 89
Nagan Raya 500// 700


North Sumatra Dead// Missing
Province 239// 3

Nias 227
Serdang Bedagai district 8// 3
Cermin Beach 1
Sibolga
Adam Malik hospital 3

Refugees cry out for medical help
Topic: Refugees


A doctor at the health post in the Hira refugee camp, Rahmat Suryadi, said that the most common diseases suffered by disaster victims the refugee camp were diarrhea, fevers, skin irritations, respiratory infections, headaches and stomach problems.

The Lhokseumawe health office has deployed 15 doctors, assisted by 65 volunteers from various organizations, to help more than 20,000 refugees languishing across Lhokseumawe after the tsunami devastated the already troubled province.

"Actually, we are prepared in term of manpower to assist the tsunami victims, but unfortunately drug supplies are very limited, which has hampered medical treatment," Rahmat told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

A medical volunteer from Mer-C in Lhokseumawe, Cut Syamsuniarti, said that medical supplies in the town have been depleted. Only medicines for coughs, hypertension, skin ailments and fever were still available at the moment.

She said that stocks from hospitals in Lhokseumawe has now run out.

"Medical supplies at the Indonesian Red Cross and Cut Meutia hospitals are running low. If supplies from the central government don't reach here in two days time, we cannot promise that patients can get their badly needed medicines," Cut told the Post.
The secretary of the North Aceh disaster mitigation command center, T. Nadirsyah, 43, said that not a single medicine has arrived from Jakarta thus far and that medicine was still being dispensed by the North Aceh regental administration.

"We don't know when medical supplies will arrive. The delays are worrying us because around 90 percent of 20,020 refugees languishing in 22 districts across Lhokseumawe are now facing serious depression and are vulnerable to various diseases," he said.

Nadirsyah said that most refugees suffering from depression were those stranded in the districts of Saenuddon, Tanah Pasir, Lhoksukon and Muara Batu.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20041231.B03&irec=4

Story from JRS in Aceh

Dear friends,

I warn you that the following story is awful and sad, so please stop here
if you do not want to read on. I want to tell about what Ivo, JRS staff in
Aceh, told me on the phone, without changing the language to make the
story more positive. Once again, take care of yourself and stop reading if
this is too much for you.

I just called the office in Banda Aceh. Ivo answered. I was happy and
relieved to hear his voice, but at the same time sad to hear what he had
to say. Ivo himself was shaking while telling the story about what he has
experienced.

Corpses, corpses and more corpses. That is Banda Aceh now. Walking on foot
in the streets, its is all corpses. The river behind the office is full of
floating corpses. Yesterday they buried 40. Today more corpses appeared in
the river brought by the stream. There is a rotten smell everywhere.
Because people drowned, their stomachs are full, and today they started to
tear open. The Raya mosque is full of corpses.

The market in Banda Aceh is wiped to the ground. The stores are filled
with dead bodies. (The floods came in the morning so that stores were
full, and all died). In the jail in Kedah, all inmates died inside. The
Brimo Asrama is also destroyed. The hospital is destroyed, only the health
station in left. Many doctors are dead. There is no medicine in the
health station. Disaster.

Right now there are many traumatized people. People scream "water, water"
while running. But there is no water. We can see people eating quietly
next to dead bodies, that are rotten and smelly. Many people cry
hysterically. People come to the health station although they are not
sick. Children have lost their parents (one child of a doctor slept in the
JRS office one night because his parents are gone).

From the Panayung bridge there is not a single tree left. Everything is
gone. In Blang Padang there are corpses. In front of the Kuala Tripa
Hotel there are corpses.

Ivo could feel the earthquake that they while he was cleaning the house.
Nangtok (also staff of JRS Aceh) was asleep on the second floor, but came
down immediately. Together with Jun (staff JRS Aceh) they where all shaken
by the quake, and went outside on the street.

Someone from Meulaboh came to Banda Aceh today and said that our staff
Nyaksih is safe. Thank God!!!

People that lived close to the river and the sea could see water coming
already 5 minutes after the earthquake. That is why they could not save
themselves.

Everything is lacking now. Petrol is lacking. All markets are closed.
Medicine is all out. There is no food. The military only remove the dead
at night because during the day families of the missing are walking
between the dead to try to identify their own. They do not allow heavy
equipment to remove the corpses. Although the corpses are no longer in
shape. Everything is rotten. But that is to respect the emotions of the
people. Although this is one of the reasons why 4 days have passed, and
the dead are still there.

Ivo is also traumatized. Nangtok is still strong although he is also sick.
I asked them to come to Medan, to rest. There is nothing they can do when
they are stressed and sick. I assume that within a few days there will be
more JRS staff coming in that can replace them in Banda Aceh.

Pudji and Hans (JRS Medan staff now in Banda Aceh) went out today to
witness the horrible situation.

I am also very sad. My feelings are strong, especially remembering the
people in Aceh who have lost everything.

Andre Sugijopranoto SJ
JRS Asia Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand

email From: "Rudy Hermawan CM"
Subject: Ungkapan Prihatin
Date: Sat, 1 Jan 2005 10:54:17 +0700

News From CRS
News From CRS in Indonesia

One of the major challenges is to bring and distribute the aids to the disaster area because most of the infrastructure such as buildings and transportation facilities are damaged so they're sending the care packages to other places such as Medan and transport them by truck. They even have to bring their own gasoline for their vehicles. The food that can be consumed are mainly ready-to-eat food because they don't have anything to cook with.

CRS (Catholic Relief Service) is working together with other Catholic organizations including KWI, JRS (Jesuit Relief Svc.) and ICMC and set up a coordination team in Medan to join their efforts in helping the victims. KWI is currently concentrating their effort in Nias. Most needed items are food, baby food and shelters. Medical needs are taken care primarily by MSF (Medicine Sans Frontier or Doctors Without Borders), the Red Cross and military medical personnel.

From: Ronny Rusli
To: icc-dfw@yahoogroups.org
Subject: CRS Response
Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 03:28:07 -0600

Dead Bodies
Topic: Deaths

Aceh deaths might hit 80,000
Topic: Deaths
Aceh deaths might hit 80,000: UN official

BANDA ACEH, Aceh (Reuters): The death toll in Indonesia's Aceh province from a quake and tsunami that struck on Sunday might reach between 50,000 and 80,000, a UN official said on Wednesday.

"I would say we are probably talking about somewhere in the order of 80,000 people, 50 to 80,000 people, that would be my educated guess," Michael Elmquist, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs for Indonesia, told reporters.

"It's a guess based on the relation between the numbers we have so far and our experience from other earthquake disasters."
Elmquist said the coastal town of Meulaboh alone may have had 40,000 deaths.

"The news I got from a government official on arrival today was that their estimate was that a third of the population (of Meulaboh) had been wiped out, which would equal 40,000 people."
The latest official government estimate of the death toll for all of Indonesia is 36,268 deaths. Aceh was by far the hardest hit province in the country.

Asked if he was surprised by how high the death toll might go, Elmquist said: "I wouldn't be surprised at all."

He said while several other countries in the region had been hit by tsunamis on Sunday, triggered by a powerful undersea quake just off Aceh, Indonesia had been struck especially hard by the quake, the epicenter of which was about 150 km from Meulaboh.
"The other countries were basically hit by a tidal wave on the beach. What we had here in Aceh is a combination of serious earthquake and tidal wave," Elmquist said.

The 9.0 magnitude earthquake, the biggest in 40 years, triggered a wall of water up to 10 meters high. Official estimates thus far put total deaths in the countries hit by the quake and tsunami at more than 67,000. (***)

http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaillatestnews.asp?fileid=20041229210311&irec=1