December 23, 2018 – Oxfam is getting ready to respond to tsunami-affected communities in Indonesia’s Sunda Strait following a tsunami that struck islands in the Strait last night.
Coastal communities in small islands in the Sundra Strait are believed to be among the worst hit from the tsunami, with Indonesia’s national disaster management authority saying underwater landslides triggered by a volcanic eruption from Mt Krakatoa may have caused the waves. More than 100 people are believed to have died with hundreds more injured and reports suggest the death toll will rise further.
Oxfam Australia’s Humanitarian Manager Meg Quartermaine said Oxfam and its partners were coordinating with Indonesian authorities and other humanitarian agencies in order to assess the need.
“An Oxfam assessment team is going out to the Strait today to gather more information about what has happened and what we can do. We know affected communities will need food and access to clean water.
“Oxfam is planning assessments to help to understand the scale of the disaster and to determine what sort of response may be required, if requested.”
Oxfam, through its partner organisations, is well placed to be able to mobilise quickly in the aftermath of the second tsunami in the region in the past three months. It has now reached more than 100,000 people in Sulawesi affected by the earlier tsunami with aid and services.