The International Organization for
Migration this morning began loading its trucks in Yogjakarta,
Indonesia, with 35 tons of food, water and medical supplies to be
distributed to the areas worst hit by Saturday’s
earthquake.

“I expect we will have 30 trucks
operating by the end of the day today some of which will transport
supplies to the district capitals and others which will be used to
distribute these items to the villages,” said IOM logistician
Ronnie Bala, a veteran of the emergency response in Aceh and
Nias.

“It is clear that the government
agencies have learned many lessons from responding to the tsunami,
and they understand the importance of coordination and how to
deliver materials in a timely manner.”

Bala said IOM trucks are being dispatched to
the airport in Surakarta (Solo) north of the affected area to
transport an additional 32 tons of aid, including generators,
medical kits and tarpaulins donated by the Italian government, and
items provided by USAID and others responding to the emergency.

“One of the issues we face is that the
roads into these villages are quite narrow and there are thousands
of people trying to get into the area to search for their loved
ones,” he said.

A six-member IOM medical team has met with
hospital administrators in Yogjakarta and the town of Klaten near
the earthquake’s epicenter to assess how best to implement an
emergency evacuation system for survivors in need of medical
treatment.

The Organization has already identified 18
newly-released patients and their family members in Yogjakarta who
are in immediate need of assistance to return home, a service IOM
provided in the wake of the tsunami and March 2005 Nias
earthquake.

The health system in Central Java province and
Yogjakarta is struggling to cope with the thousands of victims
suffering from broken bones and lacerations.

“There are many elderly victims at
Sarjito hospital in Yogjakarta with serious fractures and injuries
and there is a great deal of concern about their chances of
survival without proper medical attention,” says IOM
information officer Shima Roy who is traveling with the medical
team.

Paul Dillon

National Press Officer

Banda Aceh, Indonesia

Tel: +62 812 698 8035

E-mail: "mailto:pdillonaceh@iom.int">pdillonaceh@iom.int

Shima Roy

Information Officer

Yogjakarta, Indonesia

Tel: 0811.947.143

E-mail: "mailto:sroy@iom.int">sroy@iom.int