Emergency Relief Plan: Flooding in Jakarta, Indonesia

Dean Sorensen                                                                                                 February 19, 2001

Background
Indonesia is experiencing its worst flood in recent memory. In Jakarta alone there have been 57 deaths (142 country-wide). Thirty-four percent of Jakarta's 12 million residents have reported their homes flooded during the past three weeks; 385,000 have had to evacuate. Some 80,000 people are suffering from such maladies as

diarrhea, influenza and skin rashes, and there is a severe shortage of doctors. Damage is estimated to exceed $200 million. Fortunately, only 10-15 LDS families have been seriously affected. 

Municipal resources, inadequate to begin with, have been overwhelmed and people are in desperate need of food, medicine and clothing. Other paramount needs include educational supplies, school uniforms, home repair or replacement, and funds to reestablish business inventories so people can return to their regular occupations.  Jakarta's Governor has reported that the floods have lasted longer than anticipated and that government resources are being depleted. 

Church leaders in Salt Lake City initially allocated $15,000 for emergency relief; this was quickly followed by an additional $50,000.  This report is (1) a brief description of how the initial $15,000 was spent, (2) a proposed plan for using the additional $50,000, and (3) a few suggested targets for future humanitarian efforts.

LDSC Response --First Emergency Stage - $15,000

It is unfortunate that at this critical time we have no humanitarian missionaries in Indonesia.  However, local Church leaders and members have responded in impressive fashion.  Under the direction of Subandriyo, LDS Service Center Director, and J. Tandiman, Indonesian Mission President, significant efforts are being made.


Four public kitchens have provided over 10,000 free meals to flood victims.  An attractive feature of the kitchens has been that LDS and non-LDS Christians and Muslims have worked together side by side.  

LDSC is sponsoring an on-going medical clinic in cooperation with the Dr. Kahar Tjandra Foundation.  The clinic, set up in temporary facilities near a major flood site, provides free screenings and treatment by local doctors from the foundation.<  Church volunteers including full-time missionaries coordinate the operation and LDSC provides medical supplies dispensed at no cost to approximately 500 flood victims per day.  The most common health problems at present are diarrhea, skin rashes, colds and sore throats.

Expenditures to date total $12,000; the remainder will be spent in fielding the medical clinic.

Suggested Plan --Second Emergency Stage -- $50,000

The following plan is based on visits to the flooded area, interviews with a variety of people--flood victims, principal officers from NGOs, Church members and leaders.  It has been reviewed and endorsed by Indonesia Service Center Director, Subandriyo, and Indonesia Mission President, J. Tandiman.
Because the efficiency and integrity of the governmental structures are inadequate,  (For example, President Megawati Sukarnoputri suggested Indonesian donors give money directly to the people because the authorities could not be trusted.), we propose to focus our limited emergency resources directly on a few private organizations with demonstrated integrity that are actively engaged in flood relief activities, as follows: 

Medical Supplies--$15,000  We propose to continue (and perhaps expand) our medical clinic arrangement with the Dr. Kahar Tjandra Foundation and other organizations including medical universities.  LDSC will coordinate the operation and donate medicine; the foundation will provide medical personnel.

Home Repair-- $20,000:   Volunteer Team for Humanity (VTH) is an organization headed by Father I. Sandyawan Sumardi, a Roman Catholic priest who lives among the poor on river's edge in a heavily flooded area.  He serves people of all faiths.   In Father Sandi's "area" 16 houses have been completely destroyed and another 26 heavily damaged.  The estimated cost of materials--lumber, flat wood, aluminum, nails, cement, etc. to restore the homes to a livable condition is $60,000.    We propose to provide a portion of the building materials needed by this organization and others in affected areas; the organizations will provide tools and skilled labor.
Educational Support--$10,000:  The Red Cross organization in Indonesia has chapters in all 27 provinces and is actively engaged in flood relief. We interviewed Mr. Iyang D. Sukandar, Secretary General, Indonesian Red Cross Society.  He indicated that children's schoolbooks and uniforms - grades 1 through 9 - are high priority needs in the flooded areas, along with drinking water and supplies for personal hygiene. We propose to join with the Red Cross in providing school uniforms and educational supplies.  Two thousand educational kits will be assembled at LDS chapels and distributed.  Church members, Red Cross volunteers and community members will work together to assemble and distribute the kits.  Limited funds may also be donate to the Red Cross for transportation or other purposes.


Miscellaneous Emergency Relief--$5,000: We are acquainted with other organizations that are actively engaged in worthy service to flood victims.  Many are hampered in their efforts for want of funding and could accomplish much more with very limited cash resources.  We propose to augment and enhance their efforts through small donations in response to specific needs on an ad hoc basis.  Examples of possible target organizations include the following:

Wahana Lingkungan Hidup: This is a large NGO with chapters in all provinces.  Many of the volunteers are college-aged.  They have interest in sanitation and have organized student groups to remove garbage and clean homes.  

Garuda Nusantara (Youth Association):  We interviewed Ully Sigar Rusady, founder and principal officer in the Garuda Nusantara, a well-known environmental organization. Its efforts are now focused on helping flood victims, particularly those in  East Java where many have had their homes totally destroyed.  The Association is seeking money, for example, for truck rental to transport kitchen equipment and other items they have on hand but are unable to get to flood victims.

Contracting for Temporary Administrative Help

Since we have no humanitarian couples in Indonesia at present, Subandriyo has been appointed LDSC "point man" in coordinating our humanitarian response.  He has been doing an excellent job but his burden is heavy since he is also Service Center Director and Branch President of the Jakarta East Branch.  To assist him in coordinating the various projects and verifying that funds are appropriately used we propose contracting with a local member, Eddy Muelemans, to assist on a temporary basis.  Brother Muelemans is a mechanical engineer who retired two years ago as manager of a large shipyard to serve a two-year mission with his wife.  (They were the first Indonesian couple to serve a full-time mission for the Church.)  He is currently serving as a counselor in a branch presidency.  We propose that LDSC contract his services (at $10 US per day) as a temporary measure until humanitarian couples return to Indonesia to handle the load.

Potential Future Projects

The $65,000 allocated so far will bless the lives of many people.  In addition, the vast scope of the disaster offers many future targets for continued LDSC support as the waters recede and people begin rebuilding their lives.  The following are examples of possible projects:

Small Business Inventory Replenishment /micro-credit partnerships

Training in nutrition, hygiene, job skills, conversational English, computers

Home repair and rebuilding in Jakarta and in East Java.

Inviting LDS volunteers with special skills (e.g., medical, building construction, business, etc.) from U.S. or elsewhere to come on short-term assignments--perhaps two-six months--to serve flood victims and help rebuild shattered communities.

Container shipments of food, clothing, medical supplies, educational supplies, building materials, etc.

I recommend that an advisory committee, composed of local members and nonmembers, be established to guide the selection of future projects.

Summary

The Indonesian flooding is a disaster of great magnitude.  Although very few Church members have been seriously affected, hundreds of thousands of their fellow citizens are without needed shelter, food, and medicine. Government resources to cope with the crisis are grossly inadequate.  Although handicapped by the absence of LDSC humanitarian couples, Church leaders and members have responded well, joining with members and nonmembers to provide food and medical support to thousands.  The initial $15,000 allocated for emergency relief has been put to good use. Local ecclesiastical and LDS Service Center leaders have endorsed the plan described above for using the additional $50,000.