February 5, 2007
At least 20 people have died as the result of flooding in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, officials said, with nearly 200,000 left homeless.
Torrential rain has caused rivers within the city of 12 million to overflow, affecting some 70,000 homes. The floods have also caused a major disruption of public facilities and transport.
RESPONSE: Church World Service Indonesia and other members of the Action by Churches Together (ACT) International network in Indonesia are involved in the coordination of the response to the floods.
Already, CWS has helped distribute water to 280 households in Cipinang (east Jakarta), which is CWS' coverage area among various humanitarian groups. It has also begun distributing tents and blankets to the displaced in camps in Matraman (central Jakarta) and Jatinegara (east Jakarta). The CWS response will also include providing medical assistance and the distribution of hygiene kits to residents in Cipinang.
Further information on this response is expected later this week.
Media Contacts:
Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676; lcrosson@churchworldservice.org
Jan Dragin (24/7), 781-925-1526; jdragin@gis.net
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
