IOM this week delivered 81 inflatable rescue boats to Indonesian
emergency services coping with some of the worst flooding ever
experienced in the Indonesian capital.

The inflatables, bought with a donation of Euro 500,000 from the
Netherlands, were handed over to the Indonesian National Disaster
Management Board (BAKORNAS), the National Police and the Ministry
of Health.

With an estimated 75 per cent of the city affected, over 50
people have died and an estimated 340,000 people have been
displaced by the flooding, brought on by unusually heavy rains and
clogged drainage canals.

The Indonesian authorities, who have deployed over 40,000 police
and other emergency workers to cope with the disaster, report that
as many as 100,000 buildings have been inundated in the Greater
Jakarta area. Roads, electricity and telephone networks have also
been affected.

Despite some let up in the rain this week, resulting in some
receding of the flood waters, Jakarta residents are bracing
themselves for further rains forecast through February. In the
waterlogged city, more rain will likely result in further
flooding.

The Netherlands is a major IOM donor in Indonesia. Dutch-funded
IOM projects include tsunami recovery in Aceh, earthquake recovery
in Yogyakarta and human rights training for the Indonesian National
Police.

For more information, please contact:

Jules Korsten

IOM Jakarta

Tel. +62.8121018819

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