GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (September 30, 2009) – CARE’s emergency team in Indonesia is on standby after a massive quake struck the coast of Sumatra earlier today. The quake, measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, struck near the city of Padang, the same area that suffered a deadly quake two years ago.
“The magnitude of today’s earthquake was stronger than two years ago, so we fear the damage might be very bad this time,” said Adjie Fachrurrazi, CARE’s Emergency Response Coordinator in Indonesia, who led CARE’s emergency response to the Padang earthquake in 2007. “We have reports of damage to houses and roads, but the telecommunications tower in the area was damaged so we can’t reach our partners in the area by phone.”
An aftershock of 5.5 on the Richter scale hit shortly after the first quake, raising the fears of further damage.
“This area has already been badly hit two years ago, and barely had time to rebuild,” said Fachrurrazi.
CARE, with 40 years of experience in Indonesia, is coordinating closely with government departments, other aid organizations and UN agencies to determine what the immediate requirements are and how we can use our expertise to help in the overall emergency response. Casualty figures are starting to come in, and a clearer picture of the damage will be available in the morning, as local officials are able to take stock of the damage and reach the affected areas.
CARE is already mounting several emergency response operations in the region, as Typhoon Ketsana devastated communities in the Philippines, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia earlier this week.
About CARE: CARE is one of the world’s largest aid agencies, working in 70 countries to fight poverty and helping more than 55 million people every year. CARE has been in Indonesia since 1967, and operates a broad range of integrated projects in disaster risk reduction, emergency response, environment and natural resource management, health, livelihoods and water and sanitation.
Media contact:
Melanie Brooks (Geneva): +41 79 590 30 47 [email protected]