wfn.org | West Timorese Flood Victims Receive Aid

["Beckett, John" <BeckettJ@gc.adventist.org>]

ANN Bulletin
Adventist News Network
Seventh-day Adventist Church World Headquarters
May 31, 2000
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West Timorese Flood Victims Receive Aid 
Jakarta, Indonesia .... [ANN] 
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With new flooding in West Timor affecting 100,000 of the internally
displaced people (IDPs), the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA)
is carrying out a two-month emergency relief program for thousands of people
who are resettling their families, by providing them with shelter, water and
sanitation.

"According to reports in Atambua, 43 people have died, including 24
children, 20,000 people have been displaced, and 100 homes were destroyed,"
says Elie Gasagara, ADRA West Timor project director. "Along with the flood,
various roads and bridges were cut off, which is expected to affect
humanitarian operations."

ADRA is targeting its assistance to IDPs in Malaka Tengah and Malaka Barat
in Betun sub-district, and it will focus on specific locations where the
people are being resettled, "which is being determined by the government,"
adds Gasagara. ADRA's assistance is being funded mainly by donations from
the United States and Australia.

With a critical need for emergency shelters, ADRA is working to build 500
temporary shelters, with assistance from the recipient families. ADRA is
providing all the necessary building tools (plastic sheets, wood, etc.) and
is also providing 1,000 blankets to help protect them from flood-related
diseases.

ADRA is providing up to 60,000 liters (15,600 gallons) of clean water each
day in various locations, as well as providing sanitary facilities in
coordination with Médecins Sans Frontières Belgium (MSF_Doctors Without
Borders) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).  ADRA already
completed a shelter and food distribution program and supplementary feeding
program for thousands of refugees from East Timor after they fled to West
Timor in September of 1999. [Beth Michaels]
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Contact Information: 
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General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
12501 Old Columbia Pike
Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600

Phone: 301-680-6300
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