InterAction Members Respond to the Earthquakes in Indonesia

On Sept. 30, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of West Sumatra Province in Indonesia. This was followed hours later by a 6.2 magnitude quake. Initial estimates are that over 1,000 people have died; the death toll will likely rise as search and rescue teams work to find people trapped amid more than 500 destroyed buildings.

Over 20 InterAction member NGOs, many of which have operated in the country for years, are providing emergency disaster assistance, including distributing food and nonfood items, helping with search and rescue, clearing debris and providing potable water.

A regularly updated list of agencies responding is available below.

InterAction has also developed guidelines on the most appropriate ways to help [5] those affected by overseas disasters.

For more information about appropriate disaster relief volunteering offers, visit the Center for International Disaster Information [6].