How to help Indonesian earthquake victims
Saturday's 6.3 magnitude earthquake in Indonesia has killed more than 5,000 people on the island of Java. As many as 200,000 more people were made homeless by the earthquake, so international aid agencies are working now on setting up shelter and arranging access to clean water, medicine, and food.
How can you help? What those aid organizations really need, they say, is cash. Cash gives them the flexibility to spend money on what's needed and lets them put money into the local economy. "We'll be able to pay for helicopter time for relief access," says Julia Taft, interim president and CEO of InterAction, an alliance of relief organizations. "It'll help to find money for salaries, for the local people that are going to be involved in a lot of the assistance."
Cash is also easy to move around the world in a flash, while individual donations of bicycles, blankets, and teddy bears are often more trouble than they're worth, requiring time and expense to transport. Relief organizations usually can't accept such donations from individuals, although they do often coordinate with companies for larger donations, like medicines or recovery services.
Money can also be used to rebuild the region in the long term, says Taft, and relief organizations are keeping an eye on a nearby volcano that has been more active than usual in recent weeks. "So I think the agencies are looking not just at the earthquake but also at what might be done to prepare for any evacuations or assistance for the volcano," she says.
The InterAction website has a list of organizations that are accepting contributions for work in the area affected by the earthquake. For example, Habitat for Humanity International is assisting with emergency shelter and plans to help build houses when residents are ready.
Keep up with the latest on relief efforts in Indonesia through ReliefWeb, a United Nations-run project that helps coordinate response to international emergencies. The website includes maps of the area, lists of contributions, and appeals for funding.