Extent of Tsunami Destruction Called Staggering

NEW YORK, New York, January 19, 2005 (ENS) - The United Nations General Assembly held a plenary session in New York Tuesday on the extent of the Indian Ocean tsunami, while assessment teams in the field painted a "truly staggering" picture of "enormous devastation" and the "enormous extent of human suffering" in Sumatra, Indonesia, the area closest to the epicenter of the massive earthquake that triggered the destructive tidal wave.

"In some areas fatality rates top 75 percent with 100 percent of all homes and dwellings destroyed," said Kevin Kennedy, director of the Coordination and Response Division of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. His comments reflect the reports of the teams who have, over the past three days, finally been able to assess the true dimensions of the disaster in the remote and inaccessible Aceh province.

Destruction is total in this area of Indonesia's Aceh province. (Photo courtesy Jakarta Independent Media Center (JIMC))

The death toll from the tsunami, which struck 11 countries on December 26 now stands at more than 165,000 with at least 118,000 of them in Indonesia. There are hundreds of thousands of people still missing there, though the UN says much of this could be due to double counting or people in emergency camps who are just missing from their home sites.

But "it could be, at the end of the day we could have another 10,000 or 20,000 deaths in Indonesia," Kennedy said. "And we could have a lot more than that, too."

The giant wave was generated by an earthquake of 9.0 magnitude, and aftershocks from the original earthquake continue to occur in the region. A moderate quake of 5.6 magnitude was recorded on Friday off the west coast of northern Sumatra near the site of the December 26 quake.

In Kobe, Japan, a World Bank expert on hazard risk management told delegates at the opening session of the UN World Conference on Disaster Reduction Tuesday that the tsunami provides an opportunity to rethink the world’s approaches to natural disasters and development.

Margaret Arnold, the head of the World Bank’s Hazard Management Unit, said while tsunamis and hurricanes cannot be stopped, preparing for them by properly involving communities, developing better building codes, designing better coastal structures and improving management of coral reefs and mangroves could go a long way towards limiting their impact.

Since 1980, the World Bank has financed more than 150 post-catastrophe reconstruction projects worth about $US14 billion. World Bank President James Wolfensohn said last week on his return from a tour of tsunami affected countries, that the Bank could provide more than $1 billion and perhaps as much as $1.5 billion for longer-term reconstruction efforts in the affected countries.

The international community as a whole has topped $4 billion in pledges of relief assistance, and fu;nds are pouring in from private organizations, corporations and individuals as well as from governments around the world.

U.S. government relief supplies are delivered by U.S. Coast Guard personnel to Jaffna, Sri Lanka (Photo by PA3 Mariana O'Leary courtesy USCG)

As of January 18, the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) reports that a total of 12,735 metric tons (MT) of food assistance has been dispatched to more than 1.1 million beneficiaries in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Somalia, Thailand, and Maldives.

From Friday through Sunday, the interagency rapid assessment team conducted field visits to many areas along the west coast of Indinesia's separatist province, Aceh, closest to the epicenter of the quake.

The six-day interagency mission, conducted by helicopters based on the USS Abraham Lincoln, includes representatives from USAID, the Government of Indonesia Ministry of Health, the UN World Health Organization (WHO), and other UN agencies.

The team reports that high turnover of agencies in some areas is hindering the ability of local administrators to coordinate and prioritize aid delivery.

Team members observed inadequate water supplies and sanitation facilities in most areas visited.

Médecins Sans Frontières is tankering water to four internally displaced person (IDP) settlements and has distributed some jerry cans, but more are needed.

Over 60 cases of confirmed tetanus have been reported in health facilities in Aceh so far, with the majority of cases now being treated in the main hospital in Banda Aceh, and others in Meulaboh and Sigli hospitals.

A survivor wanders amongst the rubble left by the tsunami in Aceh. (Photo courtesy JIMC)

With population losses of nearly 40 percent, including large numbers of medical personnel, internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Lloong are particularly vulnerable to health threats. According to village leaders, the mosquito population is much higher than normal for this time of the year. Villagers reportedly used mosquito nets prior to losing them in the tsunami.

The Indonesian military is working with the U.S. military, local groups, and NGOs to coordinate daily food distributions of 400 grams of rice per person to displaced people in the settlements. Food assistance is the only source of food available to many IDPs. Local markets are open, but prices have reportedly doubled.

On Monday, the WFP reported that food assistance is currently reaching more than 300,000 registered IDPs in Indonesia, with beneficiary numbers expected to increase to 500,000 by the end of January.

More than 4,200 metric of food have been dispatched to locations throughout Aceh Province. WFP reports that its food convoys have opened road corridors from Medan to Banda Aceh and Medan to Meulaboh. WFP has three staff members based in Meulaboh, and the first food distribution began on Sunday.

Also on Sunday, WFP Executive Director James Morris wrapped up a two day visit to Sri Lanka to assess damage, meet with donors and local officials, and review WFP's operation in the country. He made field trips to Killinochchi in the north and Galle in southern Sri Lanka.

The north includes some of the poorest areas of Sri Lanka, where WFP has focused its assistance in the past because of high rates of child malnutrition.

Morris said that the tsunami crisis in Sri Lanka has clearly made a “bad situation worse” for vulnerable families and children. He noted that there are more than 1.1 million children under five in the tsunami affected areas of the country, out of which 35 percent are thought to be undernourished.

In Sri Lanka, the USAID/DART teams observed water trucks delivering water in Galle, but there is a need for increased water distribution in IDP camps. The USAID/DART also reported that the Austrian military will produce water and distribute it in the Ambalangoda Region, and the U.S. military began to distribute water produced by the Austrian military to IDP centers in the Hikkaduwa Region, north of Galle, on January 17.

The U.S. military continues to transport produce for the National Agrobusiness Council throughout Sri Lanka. The U.S. military has now started flights to transport this produce to Trincomalee in northeastern Sri Lanka and Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka, in addition to Ampara in eastern Sri Lanka. Approximately 50 metric tons of produce will be delivered to Trincomalee, Jaffna, and Batticaloa during the course of the next week.

Malta Red Cross member Marvic Attard consults a local architect about the construction of Little Malta village in Sri Lanka. (Photo courtesy IFRC)

With the blessings of a Buddhist priest, Malta Red Cross members, Etienne Micallef, John Portelli and Marvic Attard, laid the foundation stone and cut the first sod of earth on Saturday in the town of Ranna near the southern tip of Sri Lanka.

Security concerns continue to be worrisome. The World Food Programme says has not received any confirmed reports of a possible terrorist attack against its staff or humanitarian operations in Aceh Province, Indonesia. WFP and the UN system are looking into the source of information to this effect obtained by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The UN Security Team in Banda Aceh has today instructed all UN staff to observe a heightened awareness and take all security precautions necessary. WFP has advised its staff accordingly.

WFP reviews security precautions on a daily basis and agency officials said they will take "appropriate steps should the situation change because the safety and security of WFP staff are paramount."