VZCZCXRO2061
OO RUEHDT RUEHPB
DE RUEHJA #1505/01 2530313
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 100313Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3276
INFO RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEHML/USPACOM REP PHILIPPINES MANILA RP
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 8809

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 JAKARTA 001505 
 
AIDAC FOR DCHA/OFDA FOR RTHAYER, WMILLER 
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, CA/OCS, CA 
BANGKOK FOR USAID/OFDA ADWYER 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV CASC ECON EAID SENV ID
SUBJECT: USAID/OFDA ASSESSMENT OF JAVA EARTHQUAKE 
 
REFS: A) JAKARTA 1467, B) JAKARTA 1481 
 
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Summary 
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¶1.  The immediate humanitarian needs of an estimated 25,000 
displaced individuals following the September 4 earthquake 
in central Java are mostly being met by government and non- 
governmental agencies.  The earthquake-related damage to 
homes and infrastructure is relatively small, is manageable 
by local authorities, primarily affects the rural poor, and 
is likely to have minimal impact on regional food and 
livelihood security.  The Government of Indonesia (GOI) 
Disaster Coordinating Agency (BNPB) has welcomed assistance 
from non-governmental organizations that already have 
resources in country, but is discouraging additional 
appeals to international donors.  While response efforts 
have been effective and transparent, we believe there are 
significant needs for supporting early recovery and 
reconstruction planning.  USAID has provided USD 100,000 to 
an NGO to help meet such needs with immediate non-food and 
shelter contributions to poor rural earthquake-affected 
populations, and will continue to monitor humanitarian 
conditions among earthquake-affected populations in the 
central Java region.  End summary. 
 
---------- 
Background 
---------- 
 
¶2.  On September 2, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck off 
the coast of the Indonesian island of Java, affecting ten 
districts, including the capital, Jakarta.  Assessments of 
damage and loss of life continue, with the most current 
estimates indicating 73 individuals killed and 
approximately 88,000 people displaced as a result of the 
earthquake.  Many of the displaced have moved in with 
relatives or friends in host family situations; however, 
relief workers estimate that more than 25,000 of the 
poorest earthquake-affected individuals are now in 
displacement camps.  Although roads, bridges, and other 
critical infrastructure remain intact, the GOI estimates 
that as a many as 50,000 homes incurred some level of 
damage. 
 
¶3.  On September 5 and 6, a USAID/OFDA regional advisor 
assessed humanitarian conditions in the affected areas of 
central Java.  The regional advisor conducted site visits 
to Pengalengan sub-district in Bandung District and 
Tasikmalaya District, indicated by the U.N. Office for the 
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) as the most- 
affected districts.  The regional advisor conducted 
interviews with GOI officials, international donors, U.N. 
response agencies, nonQgovernmental organizations (NGOs), 
and beneficiaries.  In addition, USAID/OFDA has provided 
USD 100,000 through USAID/Indonesia to an NGO to help meet 
the immediate emergency non-food and shelter needs of 
earthquake-affected populations. 
 
----------------- 
Current Situation 
----------------- 
 
¶4.  OCHA reports an immediate and extensive response for 
earthquake-affected populations by government and non- 
governmental organizations.  The U.N. World Food Program 
reports that the GOI has dispatched mobile kitchens and 
that those displaced by the earthquake are receiving the 
sufficient daily kilocalorie requirements; however, ration 
compositions vary by location.  The GOI has released stocks 
from the government warehousing system (Bulog), and 
numerous private organizations (business and religious 
charities) are delivering food to affected individuals. 
The USAID/OFDA regional advisor confirmed that 
beneficiaries had adequate access to food in three of the 
displaced camps in Pengalengan Sub-district. 
 
¶5.  The GOI and Red Cross have provided tents to meet 
emergency shelter needs.  To ease crowding in some 
locations, the Red Cross representative in Pengalengan 
reported that an additional 1,500 tents were in route to 
the districts.  NGOs also confirmed that the GOI and Red 
Cross had distributed hygiene kits, blankets, tarpaulins, 
and kitchen sets.  Affected populations reported to the 
USAID/OFDA regional advisor that access to water and 
latrines were sufficient, and they were receiving some 
 
JAKARTA 00001505  002 OF 003 
 
 
level of non-food item support.  The district hospital in 
Tasikmalaya reported numerous people treated for injury 
following the earthquake; however, health workers noted 
that no material spike in morbidity occurred following the 
event.  GOI health officials indicated there are high 
levels of awareness about hygiene and self-protection in 
the Javanese population and that sufficient medical staff 
and medicines were available in the district. 
 
---------------------------------- 
Damage to Homes and Infrastructure 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  The official number of damaged or destroyed homes 
varies greatly by district, and there is considerable 
debate in the field about what constitutes earthquake 
damage, which centers on concerns for compensation.  As of 
September 6, the GOI reported that 31,778 homes were 
severely damaged and 22,453 homes were moderately damaged. 
Local government officials report that assessments are 
ongoing and that a final number of damaged homes will be 
ready on September 14.  The NGO Habitat for Humanity 
reported that the GOI Ministry of Housing is considering 
paying USD 4,000 to each affected household for 
reconstruction activities; however, USAID/OFDA was unable 
to confirm this.  The USAID/OFDA regional advisor visited 
numerous affected homes in two districts and noted that 
damage assessments were highly subjective.  Several homes 
that had completely collapsed were obvious losses; however, 
residents in other homes who pointed out chipped plaster or 
missing roof tiles were also claiming their home was no 
longer safe to live in.  (Note: Following the devastating 
2004 tsunami, the GOI compensated tsunami victims with cash 
payments, and many in central Java expect the same.  End 
note). 
 
¶7.  The regional advisor did not see or hear of any reports 
of damage to agriculture or the market sectors.  The 
largely agricultural-based economy appeared robust in all 
areas visited in preparation for the September planting 
season.  Farmers in the affected area spoke more about 
recent dry conditions as their greatest concern.  Markets 
were open and busy at all the sites visited and there was 
no indication of price inflation for staple commodities 
following the earthquake. 
 
¶8.  The damage to homes from the earthquake clearly 
affected the poor in a disproportionate measure.  While 
there are signs of collapsed porches, fallen retaining 
walls, and cracked plaster along the roadways, the regional 
advisor found the most acute damage in the poor semi-urban 
and rural dwellings of subsistence farming families.  Many 
of the structures destroyed appear to be built without 
compliance to building codes and the minimum of 
construction materials or engineering skills.   There is no 
uniformity to the damage, as it was common to find several 
houses grouped together with all intact except one entirely 
collapsed structure in the middle of the group.  The head 
of the Indonesian Red Cross office described the damage as 
another crisis for the poor and confirmed that questionably 
constructed homes and vulnerable locations bore a 
disproportionate amount of the recent damage.  The regional 
advisor did not receive reports of any bridges or roads 
that remained closed due to the earthquake. 
 
-------------------------------- 
International and GOI Assistance 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶9.  OCHA reported that although the GOI appreciated the 
assistance of the UN and international NGOs to the crisis, 
the BNPB has instructed the relief community to program 
only response resources already in Indonesia, discouraging 
UN and NGO representatives from seeking additional funds 
from international donors.  OCHA reported that a USD 2 
million emergency response fund is ready, if needed, and 
that they are not planning to appeal for additional 
international funds.  Several international NGOs reported 
receiving private response funds from their headquarters. 
The USAID/OFDA regional advisor spoke with representatives 
from the Australian Agency for International Development 
(AusAID) and the European CommissionQs Humanitarian Aid 
Office (ECHO) also assessing field damages, who both 
reported that there were no plans to provide funding for 
the emergency phase of the earthquake response.  On 
September 3, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono 
addressed the nation about the earthquake, committed USD 
 
JAKARTA 00001505  003 OF 003 
 
 
500,000 to immediate response efforts, and reiterated that 
there was no need for further international assistance.  In 
addition, the Ministry of National Education has committed 
USD 2.2 million to reconstruct and repair damaged schools. 
 
¶10. The American Chamber of Commerce and USAID/Indonesia 
have established a Memorandum of Understanding to 
collaborate on disasters.  Though the formal period of 
operations under this MOU has not yet begun, AMCHAM and two 
of its members requested information so that they can 
provide appropriate and timely non-food item support.  We 
believe this is the beginning of a mutually beneficial 
collaboration that will grow and increasingly support 
IndonesiaQs needs. 
 
-------------- 
Reconstruction 
-------------- 
 
¶11.   Although numbers are not yet finalized, there is a 
potential that 30,000 new homes will be needed, primarily 
for poor and subsistence-level families.  With the 
exception of an unverified report of a compensation package 
from the Ministry of Housing, there is little information 
in the field indicating what is planned for the 
reconstruction phase.  Local government representatives and 
the Indonesian Red Cross explained that the emergency phase 
would continue until September 14, after which provincial 
officials would meet to outline the next steps related to 
early recovery and reconstruction.  Many earthquake- 
affected families believe reimbursement payments will be 
forthcoming from the government for reconstruction.  The 
USAID/OFDA regional advisor sees a delayed reconstruction 
effort as the greatest risk to the affected population.  If 
a reconstruction program is not quickly forthcoming, many 
of the poor are likely to languish in the current 
displacement centers, dependent upon a fatigued 
humanitarian support effort. 
 
------------------------------- 
Conclusions and Recommendations 
------------------------------- 
 
¶12.  Government and non-governmental agencies are 
addressing the food and non-food humanitarian needs of 
those displaced by the earthquake.  WFP reports that 
sufficient kilocalories are reaching the affected and 
government health officials report no significant spike in 
morbidities following the earthquake. 
 
¶13.  Damage from the earthquake disproportionately affected 
the poor in the region.  Poor construction methods, 
disregard of building codes and buildings of considerable 
age contributed to a lack of uniformity of earthquake 
destruction.  There are no reports of road or bridge 
closures in the affected area and the vast majority of 
homes and business are unaffected. 
 
¶14.  The GOI has welcomed the assistance to earthquake 
victims from the U.N. and NGOs that already have resources 
in Indonesia.  The Government has asked the national and 
international assistance community not to appeal to 
international donors for additional earthquake victim 
assistance. 
 
¶15.  There is little public information on plans for early 
recovery and reconstruction assistance for a potential 
30,000 homes that will need to rebuild following the 
earthquake.  Many earthquake-affected families believe 
reimbursement payments will be forthcoming from the 
government for reconstruction. 
 
¶16.  Although the GOI and humanitarian agencies have 
addressed the immediate humanitarian needs of earthquake- 
affected populations in Java, USAID/OFDA's primary concern 
is the lack of public planning for reconstruction of homes 
for the displaced and the potential that affected 
individuals, many of them the poorest and most vulnerable, 
may languish in displacement camps with waning humanitarian 
support.  USAID/OFDA will continue to monitor humanitarian 
conditions in the affected regions of Java in coordination 
with USAID/Indonesia and the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta. 
 
HUME