Mennonite Central Committee

New earthquake strikes off coast of Indonesia

March 29, 2005

A massive earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia around 11:15 a.m. (EST) on March 28. The quake occurred on the same fault line as the Dec. 26, 2004 quake which created a tsunami that killed tens of thousands of people in 12 countries around the Indian Ocean.

 

MCC's work in Nias

The Indonesian islands of Nias and Simeulue were hit hardest by the March 28 earthquake. In response to destruction in Nias from the Dec. 26 tsunami, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) has supported health work through partner YAKKUM Emergency Unit (YEU), the emergency response arm of an association of Indonesian Christian hospitals and clinics.

MCC also provided funds for emergency tsunami relief to Nias, including mobilizing personnel to provide relief supplies and clean water equipment, sending medical personnel and medicines and volunteers to bury the dead. MCC has no projects on the island of Simeulue.

MCC has not determined any additional emergency response to the March 28 earthquake.

 

MCC workers

MCC workers in Banda Aceh, Aceh Province, Indonesia, report that they were shaken by the quake but are safe. Workers in Sri Lanka were notified of the quake and advised to move to higher elevations in the event of a tsunami.

"The quake happened about 11:15 p.m. (Indonesia time)," MCC staff worker Steve Steiner in Banda Aceh said.

Steiner said he was sound asleep when the quake hit and was shaken from his bed. He ran outside. "The ground shook for 3-4 minutes," he said.

Steiner said the streets in front of the MCC house flooded with people, "moving in both directions," some in tears.

"We're fine," Steiner said. "We felt it very seriously, the building just shook and shook."

In Sri Lanka, MCC staff and partner agencies are currently in a coastal community where Tuesday they are planning to launch 20 new fishing boats replacing ones destroyed by the Dec. 26 tsunami.

MCC and its partner agencies in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Somalia are continuing a long-term $15 million Cdn./$12 million U.S. response to the Dec. 26 tsunami.