Indonesians traumatized by string of earthquakes
POSTED: Sep. 17, 2007
By Sarah Pate
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Teams pass out bags filled with food and hygiene items to earthquake victims.
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JAKARTA, Indonesia - Last week's series of powerful quakes that struck off the Sumatran coast has left thousands of residents homeless, without food and fearful of another destructive tsunami.
Local hospitals have reported more than 20 people dead and many more injured.
"There is a collective national trauma regarding earthquakes," said Operation Blessing's regional director, Mark McClendon who is based in Jakarta. "The 2004 Asian tsunami killed nearly 200,000 people in less than 30 minutes. People are very jumpy and ready to run away at the first tremor they feel."
Less than 24 hours after the initial 8.4-magnitude earthquake struck, Operation Blessing was the first non-government relief agency to arrive in the hard-hit town of Bengkulu. Medical and logistics teams, including a team of four doctors from the Indonesian Surgeons Association, began treating injured and assessing the hardest hit areas.
Working with partners Samaritan's Purse and Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), OBI is now channeling tents, blankets and several thousand emergency relief kits to devastated areas.
MAF is also flying OBI teams into disaster areas to survey needs as well as evacuate victims in need of emergency medical care.
How You Can Help
Be a part of OBI's ongoing disaster relief efforts by making an online donation to help victims of the Indonesian earthquake. With your support, OBI can continue to bring emergency food, water and medical care to those caught in the midst of disaster.
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