Today, from IDEP, in Bali Indonesia, with whom I worked very closely during the aftermath of the disastrous tsunami two years ago. This is urgent and not on their website yet:

IDEP’s Emergency Response to
Flash Floods in Aceh & North Sumatra

Dear Friends of IDEP,

Two years after the Indian Ocean tsunami devastated the province, Aceh is struggling with a new disaster.

Torrential rains over the past week have triggered flash floods and landslides which have forced around 300,000 to flee their homes on the island of Sumatra, with Aceh and North Sumatra provinces the worst hit.

As of yesterday reports showed that about 100,000 people were stranded by floods which have claimed at least 110 lives. Water levels, which rose to as high as five meters in some places, have been receding, but today the sky was dark again with clouds. We pray that the rains will not start again.

Officials say a combination of heavy rains and widespread unregulated deforestation are to blame for the flash flooding. By removing dense vegetation the ground is less able to absorb heavy rainfall, creating torrents of water that quickly overwhelm river systems.

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About IDEP’s current response activities in the area

IDEP’s emergency response partner Yayasan Bahari’s rescue team have have been working around the clock for several days now. Today they found about 70 bodies.

They have been concentrating on Search and Rescue and evacuating as many people as possible from the still isolated regions while getting emergency supplies to thousands of stranded people who are short of water and food.

They are focusing on Tamiang Hulu which is next to Kuala Simpang / Sigli, Tamiyang / Pulau Tiga Aceh, Northern Sumatra, where three sub districts are still completely isolated. Whole villages have been swallowed by flood waters with residents escaping to find refuge on higher ground or trapped on the roofs of their houses. Roads leading to many of the affected areas are blocked due to both flooding and landslides, which is making access extremely difficult.

Today IDEP received a pledge of support in the form of urgently needed donated boats – however we need to repair or buy motors for them, which will cost about $1,000 US per motor x 2 boats we will be looking into options on this tomorrow – if anyone is able to help with this please contact us immediately.

How you can help…

IDEP is urgently seeking immediate support for family support kits, temporary shelters, field kitchens, water an sanitation supplies as well as distribution and search and rescue logistics.

For emergency supplies IDEP is working with our partners CV Sarawsati (CVS) who helped us with supplies and delivery for the 2005 Tsunami, as well as the Jogyakarta and West Java Quake responses earlier this year. CVS can supply us with aid kits such as the following immediately should support be available…

To make a donation please go to our website: www.idepfoundation.org/idep_donate.php

Currently, IDEP can accept donations by two means:

1) Online Credit Card Donations through the National Heritage Foundation

Visit www.idepfoundation.org/idep_donate.php and select the ‘On-line Credit Card Donation’ option. You will be directed to the National Heritage Foundation website where you can process your donation through their secure site. Donations are accepted on our behalf by the National Heritage Foundation in the USA which is a registered 501-(c)(3) charity. Donation made through NHF are tax deductible in the United States.

Don’t forget, when you register your donation on our website, if you wish to earmark the funds for a particular project please indicate the project name.

2) Wire transfer to our bank account

Our bank account details:

If you are wire transferring funds please notify IDEP by filling in our donation registration form  on-line at: www.idepfoundation.org/idep_donate.php or emailing donate@idepfoundation.org. Please indicate the amount, the originating currency (i.e. US  dollars, UK pounds, etc), bank name and city from which the transfer was made, your name (as you would like to be listed on the donor list), and the date of the transfer. A receipt will be sent once the funds have arrived. Also, if you wish to earmark the funds for a particular project please indicate the project name.

Thank You so much to everyone who can help make this emergency response possible and for any support you are able to  provide.