OCHA Situation Report
Indonesia: Floods
North, East and Central Aceh regions, Sumatra
26 December 2006


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

0100hrs, 26 December 2006

This report is based on information received from local government 
authorities, UN/NGO presences in relevant locations and the media 
reporting.

General Situation

1. The United Nations is responding to the request by the Government of 
Indonesia to provide emergency relief to the North, East and Central 
Aceh regions that have been affected by widespread floods since 22 
December 2006. The affected districts include Aceh Tamiang, Langsa, Aceh 
Timur, Aceh Utara, Gayo Lues, Bener Meriah, Aceh Utara, Lhokseumawe, and 
Bireuen. Up to 170,000 persons in total have been estimated as affected. 
The confirmed death tool has been reportedly now above 100 with several 
hundreds still missing.

National/International Response

2. At the provincial government level, an Operations Center has been 
established in the SATKORLAK office behind the Governor's office in 
Banda Aceh, consisting of the representatives from BRR, SATKORLAK, PIM 
(Indonesian Red Cross), and the Governor's office. The Government will 
make a Hercules available for the humanitarian community to transport 
stockpiles from Medan to Lhokseumawe, including that of UNICEF and the 
Save the Children. Additional government transportation assets, 
including two military helicopters are also on stand by for further 
needs.

3. The water level in many affected areas has reportedly started 
receding. The response teams will continue to carefully monitor the 
metrological reports, however, as they currently predict further 
rainfalls in coming days.

4. On 25 December 2006, OCHA agreed to release USD2M from CERF to fund 
life saving relief activities.

5. The Humanitarian Coordinator in Indonesia, a.i. has called for an 
extraordinary UN/Donor/NGO meeting scheduled for 1500hrs on 26 December 
2006 in Jakarta.

Aceh Tamiang

6. An estimated over 100,000 have been affected in Aceh Tamiang alone, 
making the district most severely affected in the disaster. The over 90% 
of the district is estimated as affected by the floods. At the request 
of the Government, the UN, led by UNORC, is leading the coordination of 
relief distribution in partnership with the available resources and 
capacities of the government and NGOs.

7. In the morning of 25 December 2006, the first airlift by the UNHAS 
MI8 has delivered the 1.5MT of initial WFP food items at the Paya Bedie 
landing site for distribution through the PMI. The UN Aceh Tamiang 
floods response team led has deployed UNORC staff members along with the 
load to coordinate the distribution and establish further logistics and 
distribution plans. The UNHAS MI8 is on stand by in the Malikulsaleh 
airfield, Lhokseumawe, and an additional 2.5MT of WFP biscuits is ready 
on the ground for delivery. In view of the limited air logistics 
capability of the UN, augmentative air transportation options are still 
being sought. Several NGOs have expressed support to fund chartering of 
an additional commercial helicopter.

8. In the meantime, a convoy of 21 WFP trucks loaded with approximately 
40MT of food items (biscuits and noodles) along with several trucks by 
IRC and the Save the Children loaded with NFIs departed Banda Aceh at 
1700hrs bound for Lhokseumawe. IFRC trucks carrying NFIs are ready to 
depart at 0700hrs on 26 December 2006. It is also planned that two 
trucks will be loaded with bottled waters in Lhokseumawe. The current 
overall logistics plan is to make Lhokseumawe as the hub for the 
distribution items for further delivery by air and land to the affected 
areas. The Government has established POSKO (relief coordination centre) 
in the Lhokseumawe airfield. Depending upon the opening of land access 
to further distribution points, the establishment of a distribution hub 
in Kuala Simpang is also being considered.

9. According to reports, the Medan-Kuala Simpang route is still blocked 
whereas the Lhokseumawe-Langsa road is open to 4x4 vehicles and the 
Langsa-Kuala Simpang only to 10 wheel trucks. The aid delivery beyond 
the Kulala Simpang point is still deemed difficult as many IDP sites are 
accessible only by boat. The limited availability of fuel for boats is 
currently posing a difficulty.

Aceh Utara/Lhokseumawe

10. The latest government estimate for the displaced by the floods in 
Aceh Utara is over 128,000, whose immediate needs include food, water, 
kitchen sets, and hygiene kits, over the next week or so. The water 
level appears to be receding in most of the affected sub-districts to 
the 30-60cm level compared to 1.5-2m in the past week, according to the 
latest UNORC field assessment.

11. The UN has established UNORC/WFP joint floods response centre for 
Aceh Utara located in the UNORC Lhokseumawe field office, and has 
initiated response coordination meeting on 25 December 2006. The next 
coordination meeting will take place on 27 December 2006. A number of 
NGOs and organizations that are already on the ground have been 
undertaking relief activities, including CARDI, Cordaid, GTZ, Malteser, 
Oxfam, Save the Children, WFP and UNICEF. A contact list and the aid 
trucking table have been initiated.

Other affected areas

12. In Bener Meriah, 2 sub-districts have been affected with estimated 
over 1,000 IDPs. In Gayo Lues, 180 houses have been destroyed and there 
are an estimated 3,000 IDPs. The Government has requested WFP food for 
both districts. IOM is conducting further assessments on conditions in 
hard to access areas.

13. In Langsa, there are reportedly 3 IDP camps set up, consisting of 
estimated over 3,500 persons. Some organizations have started providing 
support.

For more information:

Satoko Nakagawa (Ms.)
Field Support/Reports Officer
Office of the UN Recovery Coordinator for Aceh and Nias (UNORC)
Mobile: +62.811.825.214
Email: nakagawas@un.org

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