Indonesian earthquakes & tsunami appeal launched

We've launched an emergency appeal to help survivors of the devastating earthquakes and tsunami in Indonesia and have already released £20,000 for emergency aid to our sister agency Caritas Indonesia who are on the ground.

By donating you can help the many thousands who are grieving, have lost loved ones, and are now homeless, hungry and in desperate need.

SCIAF is working closely with Caritas Indonesia and others who are now distributing food, water, tarpaulins, and non-food items like soap and blankets to families in need in Palu.

The tsunami which crashed into the coastal city of Palu on Sulawesi island has left over 1,600 people dead, hundreds injured and many homes, businesses and local services destroyed. Around 48,000 people have been left homeless. The United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs says there are nearly 200,000 people in urgent need of assistance, about a quarter of them children.

Getting aid to surivors is being badly hampered by limited communications, damaged roads and shortages of fuel. Our partners and others are doing everything they can to get help to people as quickly as possible.

There is an urgent need for water, food and temporary shelter.  Disease outbreaks and public health are already significant concerns. Long term help will be needed to help families rebuild their homes and livelihoods in the months and years ahead.

Speaking from Palu, Caritas Indonesia’s Fatwa Fadillah has told us:

“The road between Donggala and Palu is lined with people pleading for food and water. They are asking every vehicle that passes for help. They are thirsty and afraid because they don’t know when they will have water again. 

“The road between Donggala and Palu is damaged so it’s slowing travel.  The houses on the coast are all damaged or destroyed.  Everything on the coast is in ruins.

“Here in Palu at the official command centre, many people have come looking for missing family members.  They are upset.  With the fuel shortage they don’t have transportation to go around searching for their family.

“The destruction is extreme. People are looking to get help or get out of the area.”

Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost loved ones and are now left to pick up the pieces.

We urge everyone to please give what you can to help the people of Indonesia recover from the immediate disaster, and rebuild their homes and lives in the months and years ahead.

Six-metre-high waves swept through the city of Palu on Sulawesi island after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake just off the coast. Strong aftershocks continued to hit the island. Thousands of homes have been destroyed together with hospitals and hotels. Many bridges are destroyed and roads damaged.

In July and August a series of earthquakes hit Lombok island to the south, killing 500 people. Caritas Indonesia provided food packages for over 3,000 people, along with hygiene kits, tarpaulins, blankets and sleeping mats. They were responding to that disaster when the tsunami hit Palu.