IOM this week deployed emergency operations and medical staff to
West Sumatra, where an earthquake registering 6.3 on the Richter
scale struck on Tuesday.

The IOM relief operation will be funded by the Dutch government,
which yesterday announced EUR 1.5 million in emergency relief for
the area. The money, which will be divided equally between IOM and
the Red Cross, is earmarked for emergency goods, medical aid and
logistics to help the thousands displaced and injured by the
quake.

IOM trucks are expected to start delivering relief goods to the
area today following a request from the West Sumatra authorities to
set up a free delivery service and database tracking system for
arriving relief goods and their onward distribution.

The system will be similar to the logistics that IOM provided to
national and international aid agencies following the 2004 Aceh
tsunami and the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake.

Initial deliveries will include relief goods donated by the
United Arab Emirates and 1,000 tarpaulins, 5,000 blankets, 5,000
sleeping mats, 300 tents and clothing for 5,000 for men and women
provided by IOM.

The quake, which left at least 52 people dead, damaged over
3,600 homes, schools and public buildings, leaving thousands
homeless. Hospitals in Solok, the worst affected district some 95
kms north of Padang, have also been overwhelmed with
casualties.

IOM Indonesia Chief of Mission Steve Cook underlined the
importance of a coordinated response led by the Indonesian
authorities. "The series of natural disasters in Indonesia over the
past two and a half years have taught IOM that strong partnerships
with government and donors built on trust are the key to a quick
and effective response," he said.

IOM West Sumatra Emergency Coordinator Jules Korsten, who
arrived in the area yesterday to coordinate with a UN inter-agency
assessment team and donors, noted that helping the Governor's
office and the local emergency response authorities to establish a
relief logistics and coordination centre was an IOM priority.

An IOM doctor also travelled to Solok yesterday with the wife of
Indonesian Vice President Yusuf Kalla to assess the situation of
health care facilities and treatment of the injured, and to
coordinate with the provincial health office.

Additional IOM medical staff are being deployed today and
tomorrow to the area to support a referral and medical evacuation
system for the injured, as well as offering assisted return to
patients and their family members able and willing to go home from
crowded hospitals and clinics.

For more information, please contact:

Jules Korsten in West Sumatra

Tel. +62.8121018819

E-mail: jkorsten@iom.int

Paul Norton in Jakarta

Tel. +62.811895651

E-mail: pinorton@iom.int