Victoria and Fedro, who with their families fled their home during the Sumatra earthquake of Sept. 30 2009, watch as donated items are hauled to a makeshift CRS/Caritas compound in Padang.

Credits: Sheahan/CRS

Caritas relief workers responding to the earthquake on the Indonesian island of Sumatra say aid is getting through but a picture is emerging of greater need in the rural areas.

The quake struck 30 September, causing extensive loss of lives and damage in the city of Padang and the outlying areas.

Caritas will provide 5,500 families in 23 villages in Parmiaman, Lurah Ampalo and Sangai Sarik with shelter and hygiene kits including  tarpaulins, tools, rope, blankets.

A limited number of tarpaulins have already been given out in Lurah Ampalo, and more will follow as transportation becomes easier.

Frederikus ‘Suko’ Sundoko, ERP Logistic and Information Officer for Caritas Indonesia (known locally as Karina), said, “The more places we visit in the outlying areas, the more people we find in need of support. Today we found a village of 2000 families that had been severely to moderately destroyed. Our estimates will be going up all the time.”

Caritas staff visited the villages in the days immediately following the earthquake and found that at least 80% of homes there were severely damaged and uninhabitable. Caritas was the first aid agency to arrive in many of the villages.

Each family will receive:

• Shelter kits: Two tarps or one tent, rope, 3 pieces of cloth (suitable for clothing/towel/bedding use), 2 blankets, and 2 sleeping mats

• Hygiene kits: Soap, plastic bucket and/or jerry can, more

• Toolkits for cleaning up debris and fixing homes: One wheelbarrow, one saw, one hammer, one pair of pliers, and nails

Interviews and site visits are available. Please contact the Caritas Sumatra Earthquake Media Team based in Padang:

Caritas Germany’s Christina Grawe. Mobile : +66 8 6000 7114 email: christina@mediawok.de  (English/German)

Caritas Australia’s Tim O’Connor. Mobile: +61 417 284 831. Timo@caritas.org.au

Trocaire’s Conor O’Loughlin: Mobile +62 87878 503763 coloughin@trocaire.ie

CRS’ Laura Sheahen Mobile +62 878 955 421 93 LSheahen@gmail.com