Sulwesi Earthquake

On January 15th, disaster struck in Indonesia when a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit the city of Majene on the west coast of Indonesia’s Sulawesi island. The devastating quake destroyed large amounts of property, which is still being calculated. As of right now, only reports about damage to major buildings and roads have been made. Current casualty reports show 800 injuries and 90 deaths. Since the disaster occurred in the early hours of the morning, help was slow to arrive. However, as soon as the scale of the disaster was realized, thousands of first responders were sent to save people from the site. Currently, 15,000 people are being housed in temporary shelters after losing their homes due to the earthquake, and power and phone lines are still down in much of the city. Many people still remain in collapsed buildings, with rescuers trying extremely hard to get them out safely. Among the collapsed buildings, officials have confirmed that the provincial government building had been collapsed, and efforts to get people out from the rubble safely were still ongoing. For many people, this has been a time of mourning. As more and more bodies pile up, relatives and friends have filled funeral halls. Indonesia’s Prime Minister, Joko Widodo, released a televised statement offering his deepest condolences to those affected by the earthquake. This disaster comes only a week after a plane crash that resulted in large-scale rescue efforts. This has stretched their personnel thin, but the government is doing the best it can in its rescue efforts. Over 100 schools have been destroyed and several hospitals have had their operations obstructed, while one hospital was entirely demolished. Currently, the major needs in the area include shelter, food, water, fuel and electricity, and medical supplies. Here are links to a couple of donation websites to help out:

• https://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases/west-sulawesi-indonesia-earthquake#:~:text=Following%20the%20recent%206.2%20magnitude,those%20affected%20in%20the%20region.&text=Mercy%20Corps%20is%20providing%20clean,and%20food%20to%20local%20residents.

• https://www.hearttoheart.org/responding-to-earthquake-in-indonesia/

• https://watermission.org/links/water-mission-mobilizes-disaster-response-to-magnitude-6-2-earthquake-on-indonesias-sulawesi-island/

• https://www.projecthope.org/6-2-magnitude-earthquake-adds-to-emergencies-in-indonesias-hard-hit-west-sulawesi-province/01/2021/

• https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/sulawesi-indonesia-emergency-relief/