IOM's emergency response to the massive earthquake that struck West Sumatra on September 30 has been boosted with a EUR 924,000 contribution from the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO).

The funding will be used to provide logistical support to the government and aid agencies racing to deliver relief supplies to the disaster area, where landslides triggered by the quake buried entire villages.

IOM's logistics hub in Padang, the provincial capital, will provide free trucking services for agencies donating aid and will coordinate the complex logistics operation required to manage incoming aid, warehouse it and ensure its efficient distribution to those most in need.

IOM's fleet of 20 trucks and 5 pick-ups in Padang have already delivered 292 tonnes of relief supplies to affected areas.

They have also moved a US Army field clinic from the airport into Padang and an Australian military clinic from the airport to Pariaman district, where three villages were buried by landslides.

The EC funding will also pay for emergency shelter and non-food relief items for some 50,000 victims. These will include tarpaulins, hygiene kits, cooking and cleaning equipment, jerry cans, buckets, stoves and blankets – all of which are urgently needed ahead of the monsoon rains, which are expected to start next month.

Part of the funding will also be used to provide emergency medical and psycho-social aid to the survivors, many of whom were injured and traumatized by the quake which is known to have killed at least 739 people.

IOM is already working closely with Padang's four hospitals and with the American and Australian field hospitals to coordinate the return home of injured people after treatment. It is also moving patients who need surgery from Pariaman district to the US Army hospital.

According to IOM assessment teams on the ground, thousands of people are now living rough in makeshift shelters near their ruined homes. Government estimates suggest that over 120,000 houses were severely damaged by the quake, together with numerous health facilities, roads, bridges and public buildings.

IOM is working closely with the National Coordinating Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB), the West Sumatra emergency response agency (SATKORLAK), the local authorities and partner agencies to deliver an effective and coordinated response to the disaster.

IOM's emergency response capacity in Sumatra dates back to the 2004 tsunami and the 2005 Nias earthquake. In March 2007 it established an office in Padang following the Solok earthquake, which struck 90 kms north of the provincial capital.