On Friday, the Indonesian island of Sulawesi was hit by an earthquake of 7.5-magnitude, followed by a 6m tsunami. More than 1200 deaths have been confirmed, and the city of Palu needs help.
There are a number of ways to donate, but according to The New York Times, money is a much more immediate way to help rather than canned goods, water or clothes. It’s very easy for those items to be misplaced.
NPR reports that the scale of the disaster was at first difficult to determine, because communications were knocked out. The UN is now estimating that 1.6 million have been or will be affected in the coming recovery.
The NYT and NPR suggest a number of organisations you can send money to who have people on the ground (to make sure it gets where it needs to go).
GlobalGiving
This group focuses on local organisations and currently have a goal of $US1 million ($1.4 million) to help people in Sulawesi. They focus on emergency supplies first, then long-term recovery assistance.
CARE
CARE is also focusing on immediate needs north of Palu and towards the centre of the city — especially clean drink water, sanitation and shelter. Their county director in Indonesia, Helen Vanwel, told NPR that its a difficult project, because access is limited.
“A landslide has blocked the main road into Palu, flights are restricted into the airport, there is a destruction of major seaports and a general lack of communication,” she said.
Indonesian Red Cross
According to the group, they’ve mobilised “70 tons of supplies”, including baby kits, mattresses and tents, as well as water trucks and 15 ambulances. They say they have 179 staffers in the area already.
Humanity & Inclusion
This organisation has been in Indonesia since 2005. The theme continues to be working on immediate relief, especially medical care and “psychosocial support”.
Save the Children
There are Save the Children volunteers in Palu who are trying to establish temporary shelters from ropes and tarps, and also clearing away areas for children to safely play, because kids continue to need some normalcy and freedom when their worlds are turned upside down.
UNICEF
This group is also working on clean water by bringing in a mobile water treatment facility. They’ve also been working with local authorities to find the families of children who were separated from them during the disaster.
The Jakarta Post also shared a few groups that are much more local, and shared a message from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency saying things such as “fuel (diesel fuel and gasoline), drinking water, medical personnel, medicines and field hospitals, tents, tarps, blankets, stretchers, water tanks, food, lamps, generator sets, emergency kitchens, body bags, shrouds and baby food” were all needed.
They also boosted the Indonesian Red Cross as an option for immediate relief.
Aksi Cepat Tanggap (ACT Indonesia)
ACT Indonesia as been around since 2005 as well, and are extremely transparent with their money. You can also follow them on Twitter at @ACTforHumanity to stay up to date on how things are changing on the ground.
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