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INDONESIA
5,600 dead, 200,000 homeless in wake of 6.3 temblor.
With the number of dead now over 5,600 after the recent 6.3 magnitude earthquake on the island of Java in central Indonesia, The Salvation Army has sent more medical staff to the affected regions. Personnel from Salvation Army-run hospitals traveled to the area, where people were dying needlessly from lack of treatment due to a shortage of medical professionals.
The quake, which struck early on May 27, also left thousands injured and some 200,000 people homeless.
The Salvation Army plans to remain on hand to provide continuing relief. Major Dina Ismael, relief coordinator, reports that the team is employing the successful methods developed during the tsunami response last year.
“Our Compassion in Action teams will be on hand to offer continuous assistance to those who have suffered. Personnel will be rotated on a weekly basis to maintain the support program and sustain the assistance we are providing. In addition to the medical field hospitals, our teams will also provide tents and other urgently needed relief supplies.”
The Salvation Army’s International Headquarters sent an immediate grant of $20,000 to the area to start the relief operation and issued a fundraising appeal. Donations can be made to The Salvation Army’s South Pacific and East Asia Disaster Fund at www.salvationarmy.org.
The quake was the fourth destructive temblor to hit Indonesia in the past 17 months, including the one that spawned the December 26, 2004 tsunami that left over 215,000 dead or missing.