May 29, 2006, Yogyakarta, Indonesia - An interagency team of Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC) partners reached the devastated city of Yogyakarta early yesterday morning, about 30 hours after an earthquake rocked the city.
Additional members will join the team today to help in assessing needs and preparing a response.
Reports from Yogyakarta state that the death toll from the quake surpasses 5,000 people.
"We visited a smaller village east of Yogyakarta which has thus far received no assistance from any source," said group spokesperson Galen Carey.
"Most of the homes have completely collapsed. Families have erected makeshift tarps or tents; the rest are sitting in their yards, picking through the rubble to salvage what they can. Others are nursing their wounded."
With ten years experience in the area, and offices in Salatiga, only an hour from the site, CRWRC is well-placed to respond to this disaster. After the emergency phase, CRWRC will continue to be there in the longer term to help rebuild the thousands of homes that have been demolished.
CRWRC and its partner agencies have already distributed more than 8,400 containers of rice, noodles, and drinking water to survivors and are acquiring family-sized tents for those without shelter.
"People are still in shock, not fully comprehending the devastation," Carey said. "They have had little to eat for the past 36 hours and their water is badly contaminated."
CRWRC International Relief Manager Jacob Kramer is available for interviews by news media at 1-800-730-3490.
To support this relief effort, send donations marked "Indonesia Earthquake 2006" to CRWRC at 2850 Kalamazoo Ave., SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49560. In Canada, send to: CRWRC, 3475 Mainway, PO Box 5070 Stn LCD 1, Burlington, ON L7R 3Y8. Credit card donations can be made by calling 1-800-848-5818 (in Canada call 1-800-730-3490) or online at www.crwrc.org.
CRWRC is a Christian, non-profit organization of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, based in Burlington, Ontario and Grand Rapids, Mich., providing a ministry of development, relief, and justice education to people around the world. For more information visit www.crwrc.org.
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................... Henry Hess Director of Communication The Christian Reformed Church To learn more about the Christian Reformed Church visit www.crcna.org