Relief operation moving smoothly after storms
Relief operation moving smoothly after storms
JAKARTA (JP): Humanitarian aid has been streaming to the quake-stricken areas in Irian Jaya as storms abated yesterday, relief authorities say.
As practically all affected areas have now become accessible, search and rescue workers have counted 101 dead, 56 critically injured and 51 people still unaccounted for.
Another 12,000 people lost their homes in the aftermath of the quake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale that struck Biak Numfor, Yapen Waropen and Manokwari regencies on Feb. 17.
"The army has sent 60 soldiers to the affected areas. In a couple of days, there will be 400 more," Capt. Tjipuk of the relief aid coordinating unit in Korem, Biak, told The Jakarta Post by telephone yesterday.
The soldiers will help local residents rebuild their houses and channel the assistance, he said. More food stuffs, medicines and tents from the central government Jakarta arrived yesterday.
Officials have advised residents to stay outdoors although smaller tremors are still being picked up occasionally.
Tjipuk said a helicopter from PT Freeport Indonesia, a giant copper company based in Tembagapura in the mainland, arrived in Biak yesterday to strengthen the relief operation.
RCTI, a Jakarta-based private television station, reported yesterday that the Biak Numfor government had collected Rp 148 million (US$65,000) in cash from donors.
Another chopper is due in Biak today to speed up operations on small islands which were cut off from the outside world due to rough weather.
The Navy started to mobilize its ships from Biak for the relief operation over the weekend, Tjipuk said.
Australia is also giving a helping hand. It has hired a helicopter for $22,000 for local authorities to reach the remote islands in the affected areas.
The Australian government has also committed itself to providing $53,000 to World Vision Australia, which is involved in the relief operation in the stricken areas.
Meanwhile, officials in Manokwari said on Saturday that the Feb. 17 earth quake has claimed no lives in that regency but had caused losses of more than Rp 4 billion (US$1.7 million).
Manokwari regent Mulyono said over the weekend that 704 families had lost their homes and had to be evacuated to safer ground.
Over 130 houses were destroyed, 120 badly damaged, and three churches and one mosque were slightly damaged in Manokwari, he said. "The tidal waves swept through homes in Rodi, Borarsi, Borobudur, Fanindi and Wirsi," he said.
Among the about 4,000 victims that the government has to accommodate and feed are the 507 passengers of the Dobonsolo ferry which was stranded in Manokwari on its way from Jayapura to Biak due to the tidal waves. (pan)