OCHA Situation Report No. 1 Indonesia - Floods 18 May 2000
Situation and Damage 1. Flash floods, caused by heavy rain over the last 3 days, have drenched the southern part of Belu district in West Timor, Indonesia. The sub-districts of Malaka Tengah and Malaka Barat are the worst affected territories. The affected area is flat and very low-lying, and forms a major rice growing area with an estimated 100,000 people living in the region. Many East Timorese refugee camps giving temporary shelter to 16,000 people, are also located in this area. 2. Over 90 people, including many refugees, are reported to have died in the floods, mainly in the sub-districts of Malaka Tengah and Malaka Barat. The rains continue and the death toll is expected to rise. According to unconfirmed information, 125 people have died as a result of the floods. In all, an estimated 20,000 people have been affected and 100 houses have been destroyed. There seems to be no access for road traffic between Kupang, the capital of Nusa Tenggara Timur province in West Timor, and Atambua in Belu. The main roads and bridges along this stretch of land have been completely cut off. 3. Some flooding is also reported in East Timor, though no casualties have been reported so far. Needs 4. According to local authorities, primary needs are for medicines, food, mobile kitchens and kitchen sets and stoves, tents and plastic sheeting, fuel (diesel), water purification equipment and jerry cans, and also rubber dinghies. National and International Response 5. The local government has established a task force headed by the vice-governor of Nusa Tenggara Timur province. 6. On 17 May, a Flood Emergency Meeting was convened at the OCHA office in Kupang to respond to the disaster. The meeting was attended by UNHCR, WFP, UNICEF, WHO, UNTAET, OCHA, IOM, DEPSOS, ICRC and NGOs (including MSF-B, CRS, CWS, ADRA, CARE, ADB, CFSI). The Indonesian Government, UNHCR, WFP, UNICEF, IOM and NGOs initiated rapid assessments. UNHCR have positioned one of their programme staff in Betun to act as assessment and aid coordinator. OCHA in Kupang is consolidating the information coming in from all the agencies. 7. On 17 May, the Government of Indonesia, through the Secretariat of the National Disaster Management Coordinating Board (Bakornas PB), requested the United Nations to provide technical assistance for emergency relief to the provincial government of Nusa Tenggara Timur. 8. OCHA, Geneva is in close contact with its office in Kupang as well as with the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Jakarta, and will revert with further information if the situation warrants it. 9. This situation report, together with further information on ongoing emergencies, is also available on the OCHA Internet Website at http://www.reliefweb.int Telephone: +41-22-917 12 34 Fax: +41-22-917 00 23 In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10 Desk Officers: Ms. S. Metzner-Strack / Mr. R. Mueller / Mr. S. Matsuka, Direct Tel. +41-22-917 21 44 / 31 31 / 40 34 Press contact: (in GVA) Mr. Donato Kiniger-Passigli, direct Tel. +41-22-917 26 53 - (in N.Y.) Ms. Phyllis Lee, direct Tel. +1-212-963 48 32 distributed by - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Volunteers in Technical Assistance Disaster Information Center lists: www.vita.org/listsub.htm sitreps nat-dsr web: www.vita.org fireline - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -