IOM helps Nias people get home

IOM helps Nias people get home

The March 28 earthquake on Nias, off the western coast of
Sumatra, devastated the island and its residents' lives, killing
about 2,000 people and injuring hundreds of others.

Dozens of international aid organizations, non-governmental
organizations and government institutions working to recover Aceh
responded immediately, sending emergency teams to Nias, and
donors channeled fresh funds toward new disaster relief efforts
for the quake victims, including evacuating those with major
injuries to Medan hospitals for medical treatment.

While the evacuation of injured by first responders has
received much media coverage, an equally important aspect is the
follow-up process of getting them back home. One organization
that facilitates their return is the International Organization
for Migration (IOM), an independent organization that coordinates
with host governments and partner organizations in humanitarian
and emergency responses involving "irregular" migrants --
typically in conflict, post-conflict and disaster areas.

At the request of North Sumatra Governor Rizal Nurdin, the IOM
arranged the return of over 350 Nias residents who had been
medevacked to mainland Sumatra for medical treatment -- after
first tracking down the whereabouts of potential returnees
through local hospitals.

Those who have been discharged from hospitals are assessed by
the IOM's medical professionals for their fitness to travel, and
are then provided hotel accommodation in Medan until the next
available flight.

The IOM's assisted voluntary return program -- returnees are
given the option of going home or not -- and other disaster
relief programs for Nias were funded by the European Commission
Host Organization, or ECHO, the humanitarian aid department of
the European Commission.

As of May 23, 319 returnees have been flown back to Nias --
171 patients and 148 family escorts -- in addition to 462 people
who were treated on Nias or aboard the USNS Mercy.

About 100 others determined to be unfit for travel remain in
Medan, mostly those receiving follow-up treatment and those under
observation. One such individual is a woman who just gave birth
on May 18, and will be returned soon with her newborn.

While clearing and reconstruction work as well as aid
distribution on Nias progresses, the IOM estimates that all
medevacked Nias residents will have been returned to their
hometowns by June.
-- The Jakarta Post