European Union brings relief to the victims of earthquake in Indonesia

Photo: © Indonesian Red Cross (PMI)

European Union brings relief to the victims of earthquake in Indonesia

In response to the strong earthquake that struck the province of West Java in late November, the European Union (EU) is providing €200,000 (over 3.2 billion Indonesian rupiah) in humanitarian funding to assist the most affected families.

This EU funding supports the Indonesia Red Cross (PMI) in delivering much needed assistance, including the provision or shelter items, first aid kits, hygiene materials, clean water and sanitation facilities. Mobile clinics and ambulances are deployed to provide medical services to those injured. The most vulnerable people will also receive cash grants to enable them to meet their basic, immediate needs.

The humanitarian aid will directly benefit nearly 26,000 people who have been adversely affected by the earthquake in West Java.

The funding is part of the EU's overall contribution to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Over 330 people were killed while over 70,000 others were displaced when a 5.6-magnitude earthquake hit near Cianjur district, located some 100 kilometres south of the capital, Jakarta, on 21 November. At a shallow depth of 10 kilometres, the tremor caused severe damage to over 20,000 houses and a number of public facilities and infrastructure. Multiple health care facilities have also been impacted, causing the disruption of medical services in affected communities. Damage to water supplies has also hampered access to safe water resources. The severity of the tremor and its aftermath triggered the Indonesian government to declare a 30-day state of emergency, taking effect from 21 November to 20 December 2022.

Background

The EU and its Member States are the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity with people in need all around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and man-made crises.

Through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department (ECHO), the EU helps millions of victims of conflict and disasters every year. With headquarters in Brussels and a global network of field offices, the EU provides assistance to the most vulnerable people on the basis of humanitarian needs.

The EU is signatory to a €3 million humanitarian delegation agreement with IFRC to support the Federation's DREF. Funds from the DREF are mainly allocated to "small-scale" disasters - those that do not give rise to a formal international appeal.

The DREF was established in 1985 and is supported by contributions from donors. Each time a National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society needs immediate financial support to respond to a disaster, it can request funds from the DREF. For small-scale disasters, the IFRC allocates grants from the Fund, which can then be replenished by the donors. The delegation agreement between the IFRC and ECHO enables the latter to replenish the DREF for agreed operations (that fit within its humanitarian mandate) up to a total of €3 million.

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