Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that the country is willing to lend a post-tsunami clean-up and recovery aid to Indonesia. Oxfam Australia announced on Tuesday that they will help people affected by the tsunami which will include support to the Indonesian government in providing clean water and hygiene facilities for the affected.
Dino Argianto, Oxfam's humanitarian operations lead in Yogyakarta, said in a statement that the thousands of people that are housed in makeshift camps need aid urgently including clean water, food, and sanitary supplies. Argianto also pointed out the need to pay special attention to the safety of women and children. According to him two of their teams are already on the ground working with partners to assess the needs and get help where it is needed quickly.
Oxfam helps the victims by providing clean water, building toilets, and distributing hygiene kits that include blankets and soap.
Red Cross Australia also announced that their 300 staff and 800 volunteers in Indonesia are on the ground and assisting those that need medical attention.
Despite the flow of aid for the tsunami-hit coastline, the need for clean water and medical supplies is still increasing because of thousands of displaced crams in the makeshift evacuation centers. Treats of the spread of diseases in the evacuation centers rose as because of the overcrowding.
According to Rizal Alimin, a doctor working for NGO Aksi Cepat Tanggap said that a lot of the children are sick with fevers, headaches and they haven't had enough water. He also said that they have less medicine than usual. He added that the current situation is not healthy here for evacuees. He noted the need for food and the terrible condition of the evacuees.
The tsunami hit the popular beaches on southern Sumatra and western Java at night and without warning. The huge wave swept tourist hotels and coastal settlements in the area.
According to the latest reports, 429 were killed, more than 1500 were injured and 154 are still missing. More than 5, 000 evacuees are still afraid to return to their homes due to further threats of volcanic activities in the island of Anak Krakatau. According to reports, the tsunami was caused by a huge landslide on the island.
According to Abu Salim, with volunteer group Tagana, workers were scrambling to stabilize the situation. He said that they are focused on helping the evacuees in shelters by setting up kitchens and in distributing logistics. He, however, claims that they still don't have access to running water. He also said that they can't reach some of the evacuees who are on higher grounds.
