OBI continues to treat victims of quake, tsunami
OBI medical teams treat victims in the western villages of Pangandaran.
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PANGANDARAN, Indonesia - Operation Blessing medical teams arrived in Pangandaran within ten hours of Monday’s tsunami to treat victims in Southern Java.
By Tuesday, ten Operation Blessing doctors and four nurses treated 306 patients, bringing relief to the seaside villages west of Pangandaran.
According to Mark McClendon, director of Operation Blessing Indonesia which is based in Jakarta, the death toll has risen to over 500 and hundreds are still missing. Thousands of people are displaced.
According to the International Tsunami Information Center, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in the Indian Ocean caused the wave. Newspapers throughout the region have reported three major tremors in the last three days. Residents fear another massive tsunami, much like the one that killed over 150,000 people in Sumatra in 2004, McClendon said.
As Operation Blessing President Bill Horan spoke with McClendon on the phone Wednesday, a 6.2 aftershock shook OBI offices in Jakarta.
“The people of Indonesia are suffering from Monday’s disaster and terrorized over what might happen next,” said Horan. “But Operation Blessing teams remain in the field.”
OBI medical teams distribute emergency packs to residents of villages on the coast of Southern Java.
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As of Monday, a total of 26 OBI Indonesia staff, including two mobile medical teams, centralized relief efforts in the county medical clinic of Batu Hiu. Using four vehicles, teams are transporting injured victims to the clinic and delivering emergency packs filled with food, water and emergency aid items to survivors. An additional 2,000 packs are being prepared for distribution.
With multiple disasters plaguing Indonesia in recent months, Operation Blessing continues to provide relief to victims of the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck Yogyakarta in May and to survivors of the recent flooding in Gorontalo. Recovery programs for 2004 tsunami victims such as medical clinics, house reconstruction and microenterprise projects are slated to continue through 2007.
HOW YOU CAN HELP As disasters continue to strike Indonesia, Operation Blessing is there as a first responder. You can help ease the suffering of victims of natural disasters by taking part in Operation Blessing's relief efforts by making an online donation today. Thank you for reaching out to those in need!
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