Press Release

OFID extends emergency grant to assist natural disaster victims in Indonesia and the Philippines

PR41/2009 October 2, 2009 Vienna, Austria
Press inquiries:

 

The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) has approved a grant of US$750,000 to help procure emergency supplies and finance emergency operations for victims of a spate of natural disasters in the southern Asia countries of Indonesia and the Philippines. The grant will be channeled through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

In a time period of only 48 hours, the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra was struck by two earthquakes. On September 30, the first, which measured 7.6 on the Richter scale, struck 57 km offshore close to the district of Padang Pariaman in the west Sumatra province. A second quake measuring 6.8 hit an inland area approximately 225 km southeast of Padang City. According to the latest UN estimates, more than 1,000 people are reported dead and hundreds injured. These numbers will likely rise since many victims are still trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings. Infrastructure has been destroyed or damaged and electricity and communication lines are down. The Indonesian Red Cross, the IFRC and other national societies are carrying out needs assessments and deploying staff and volunteers at strategic points to assist affected villages.

On September 26, Typhoon Ketsana struck the Philippines, causing major destruction across Central Luzon, including the capital Manila. More than 2.5 million people have been affected by the disaster, with 277 dead and many others missing. Recent estimates report more than 9,000 damaged or destroyed homes, and an emergency appeal has been launched by the Philippines National Red Cross to provide relief and early recovery support to those most severely affected. Their present appeal is seeking support to assist some 20,000 families (around 100,000 people) in the form of non-food items, water and sanitation interventions, as well as medical supplies and services. Other immediate needs include rice, canned goods, clothing, bedding, mosquito nets, sleeping mats and buckets. Assistance is also required to bolster human resources at evacuation centers, provide tools and shelter materials, in addition to mobilizing medical teams for vaccinating children and treating the injured.

The IFRC will channel OFID’s grant to the National Red Crescent Societies of each country and distribute the proceeds as follows: US$500,000 to the Republic of Indonesia, and US$250,000 to the Republic of the Philippines.

 

Arabic version