Sulawesi Earthquake and Tsunami - Indonesia
A 7.5 magnitude earthquake in Sulawesi on September 28, 2018, followed by a tsunami and liquefaction, resulted in widespread destruction, with homes destroyed and roads blocked off for some days. Image: Plan International
At 5pm on September 28, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake occurred on the Minahassa Peninsula, Central Sulawesi. The earthquake triggered a tsunami which hit Palu City and significant stretches of the coastline of Donggala District. In addition to the earthquake and tsunami, soil liquefaction caused widespread damage and destruction.
More than 4,000 people died and more than 172,000 people were displaced.
Infrastructure and basic services were affected, with 1,299 schools and 20 health facilities were damaged. Total economic damages were estimated at over US$500 million, including damage to the housing sector, commercial/industrial buildings, and infrastructure.
The final death toll was 4,350 with a further 667 people declared missing. Almost 223,000 people across three districts were displaced. Infrastructure and basic services were affected, with more than 17,000 buildings damaged including homes, schools, health facilities, mosques and churches. The total economic damage was estimated at over AUD 730 million.
AHP partners distributed hygiene kits to people in some of the worst-affected areas. This kit contained soap, detergent, toothbrushes, toothpaste, sanitary pads, insect repellent and nappies with an approximate cost of $20AUD. Image: Irwan Firdaus/Oxfam
The AHP Response
All AHP NGO partners had national and/or partner organisations on the ground in Sulawesi at the time of the emergency and were able to immediately support response efforts, which were led by the Indonesian Government. The AHP was activated, with AUD 2 million distributed equally amongst AHP NGOs to continue working with their Indonesian counterparts, specifically in the areas of most immediate need, including water and sanitation, shelter, protection services and the distribution of essential supplies.
Between October 2018 and February 2019, the combined AHP response reached more than 87,000 people of which 52 percent were women and girls and two percent were people with disabilities.
AHP NGO partners worked through the following Indonesian partners:
Organised activities in safe places provide children the opportunity to come together, and through these activities, AHP partners delivered educational sessions on issues such as hygiene and what to do in the event of an aftershock. Image: Junaedi Uko / Save the Children
World Vision: Wahana Visi Indonesia
Save the Children: Yayasan Sayangi Tunas Cilik
Plan International: Yayasan Plan International Indonesia; Yakkum Emergency Unit
Oxfam: Jejaring Mitra Kremanusiaan
CARE: PKPU Human Initiative and other identified local partners
CAN DO: ADRA Indonesia, Church World Services and Catholic Relief Services Indonesia.
Response Highlights
AHP local partners reached more than 87,000 people in a highly localised effort that aligned with the Government of Indonesia’s response.
AHP partner response efforts were well-coordinated with each other and with national, provincial and district government disaster management agencies.
Clean water, sanitation and hygiene were key to early response efforts to ensure impacted communities were not further affected by secondary disease. More than 73,800 people gained access to clean water through a combination of truck distributions, village and household water treatment, water filter and water storage solutions. AHP partners targeted some of the most isolated regions.
Early recovery was supported through infant and child nutrition, psychosocial support and child safe spaces.
Government of Indonesia policy restricted operations of international NGOs which meant that local NGOs led the response efforts. The Humanitarian Knowledge Hub, a network of 16 Indonesian NGOs supported by Oxfam were quickly able to activate their standing agreement and mobilise emergency stock and specialist personnel to support the response efforts in the field.