RAPID ASSESSMENT REPORT

RAPID ASSESSMENT REPORT Indonesia: West Sumatra Earthquake Response October 2009 CHF International s integrated emergency response includes: - Shelter - Livelihoods - Risk reduction - Water, sanitation & hygiene I. Executive Summary On September 30, 2009 a powerful earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter Scale struck the western Sumatra coast of Indonesia. Many homes, commercial and government buildings including schools and clinics were destroyed during the quake. Other structures were significantly impacted and sustained enough damage to compromise their structural integrity to a dangerous degree. Approximately 1,250,000 people have been affected through the total or partial loss of their homes and livelihoods. Over 1,000 people lost their lives in these structures during and immediately following the earthquake. Many others are lost or have been displaced due to the collapse of their homes. This assessment report summarizes the main findings and current recommendations of CHF International concerning the affected District of Padang Pariaman with relation to shelter, current relief received, water, sanitation, and hygiene. The assessment took place from October 9 through October 13. The assessment was done in rural villages northwest from the City of Padang in Padang Pariaman District of West Sumatra. The initial assessment was conducted by a team of national and international staff including two civil engineers, one architect, a construction manager, and a public health specialist. Based on the initial observations and discussions with community members, an in-depth assessment tool was created to facilitate a more thorough assessment of the area. A group of volunteers from a local university were trained and sent out to the field to survey 63 households, interview key stakeholders and assess the damaged through observation, photographs, and measurements. 1

Summary of assessment findings and recommendations: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. The main priorities voiced by the surveyed communities are shelter, water and latrines. There remains a continuing need for temporary shelter even among those who have already constructed some form of shelter on their own. Organizations should focus on providing assistance to help strained households to cope with those needs in the very short-term. Communities have already started building emergency makeshift shelters. However, the quality of the makeshift shelters is generally poor. Given that most affected households have already constructed some sort of emergency shelter, humanitarian organization should focus on improving the shelter conditions by providing transitional shelters that meet sphere standards while including some construction hazard mitigation measures. The main sources of livelihoods for rural communities are under threat due to the earthquake. Disruption in irrigation systems are threatening the next rice crop as well as causing loss to the fish farmers. In addition, many households are using their time to build shelter and remove rubble and are not able to engage in other productive activities. In consequence, humanitarian organizations should immediately engage in activities that help communities protect and recover their livelihoods. The impact of the earthquake was exacerbated by poor construction practices in the affected area. Most collapsed homes lacked the most basic construction hazard mitigation measures: walls lacked vertical and horizontal reinforcement; homes did not have foundations or were inadequate; the mortar used was poor and lacks cohesiveness; and openings were inappropriately located or too big. Humanitarians should increase the community understanding of appropriate construction practices as well as train a cadre of constructors on earthquake resistant construction as a way to mitigate the impact of future disasters. Households are currently using recycled materials to build shelters. In most circumstances this is a good practice. However, in this case it could be seen as counterproductive to the reconstruction phase. For example, people are cutting down lengths of wood that could be used to build permanent shelters. Humanitarian actors should foster the salvaging of valuable construction materials to be used later in permanent housing rather than in the makeshift structures and provide transitional materials that could be used by the households to build transitional shelters. Provision of safe and clean water is needed for communities. Initial steps include coordination with Government, District officials, local authorities, and communities regarding irrigation water and household water taps. Water well rehabilitation and construction will also be necessary in many areas on a household or communal basis. In the short term chlorination tablets and additional water filtration techniques are needed in most areas. II. Current Situation According to The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), 135,000 homes have collapsed, 60,000 have sustained medium damage, and 60,000 have been slightly damaged. However, key informants argue that these numbers will be reduced between 15 and 25 percent once a more detailed assessment of the situation is conducted. Most of the collapsed homes are concentrated in Padang Pariaman and Agam districts and within the cities of Padang and Pariaman. Many communities remain isolated but as roads begin to be cleared and basic services such as electricity and communication are resumed, some emergency relief is reaching people in very rural affected areas. 2

Damage information is being collected at the local level by the traditional community leadership (Korong). All visited villages have collected damage information. However, the information is not entirely reliable since the local leadership does not have access to the skills and the tools required to appropriately assess the damaged inflicted to the homes. In consequence, from the information collected we can only estimate with an acceptable level of accuracy the number of homes that were completely destroyed by the earthquake. The affected area is characterized by its traditional society. Many village communities still conform to traditional social customs and rituals that revolve around village leaders. In addition, clan affiliation is strong and often the cause of intercommunity conflicts. Village ceremonies are frequent and in some cases delay the implementation of community projects. Local religious leaders are powerful assets in mobilizing communities, therefore before or after religious services could be great opportunities for community mobilization. III. Needs Assessment and Sector Response Capacity Methodology Over the period from October 9th to 16th, CHF conducted an assessment of the needs and present circumstances of the communities in the Padang Pariaman District of West Sumatra. District-wide information was collected from a variety of sources, including local government, NGOs, UN, and through coordination with the shelter cluster. This secondary research and information was used to identify the geographic areas to be surveyed, prioritized as the area where the most houses were destroyed. Community Priorities In the assessment, families were asked to rank the priority of their needs among the following: income/work, shelter, water, latrines, medicines, or school fees. They also had the option to write in and rank their own priorities. Sixty-seven percent of the respondents selected shelter as their top priority. Sixteen percent responded income/work. Another 16 percent responded that water was their top priority. The most common second and third priorities were water and latrines, with 44 percent selecting water as their second priority and 44 percent selecting latrines as their third. Relatively few families mentioned medicine or school fees in their top priorities. 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Shelter Priority Needs for Families Water Latrines Income School fees Medicine Other First priority Second priority Third priority Livelihoods The single largest source of income in the surveyed communities is farming. Other prominent livelihood activities in affected communities are trade, small-scale fish farming and brick making. Some families own small home-based businesses or work in nearby cities. Most families combine income from farming activities, employment and trade to make a living. 3

There is considerable damage to irrigation systems. More than 10,000 farming families (men and women) in Padang Pariaman and Pesisir Selatan have been severely affected through damage to their houses and other property. Around 1,000 farmers lack water access due to the damage caused by landslides to irrigation systems, and some farmers will require additional support to be able to plant the next crop. In many cases, the immediate provision of seeds, fertilizers, and tools is necessary. Affected households will face imminent challenges in accessing required inputs in time for the next planting season (November/December). Some families also grow fish in small ponds near their homes to supplement their income, and most fish are sold to the local markets. The provincial fisheries agency is paralyzed due to destruction of offices, equipment, and lost access to key data; 2,000 fishing families now face reduced livelihoods security and income due to lack of availability of ice for marketing their fish catch. In addition, tertiary irrigation canals in the same area have also sustained damage, as have poultry shelters in Padang Pariaman and Pasaman Barat districts. Thus, irregular access to water in this area could have a detrimental impact on crop quality, household income and food security for most households. Small-scale home-based businesses have been affected by the loss of assets. About 50 women s groups (1000 women) engaged in home-based, small-scale agro-industries (cassava, melinjo and banana chips) have been affected by the earthquake in Lima Puluh Kota, Paya Kumbuh and Bukit Tinggi districts. Landslides have reduced access to forest products for many communities. The poverty level of the families in the assessed communities means that they would have little time and incentive for activities that do not directly bring in income. As a consequence, they would be more inclined to work than to be involved in potential project activities. In the short term, livelihoods have been disrupted in numerous ways because of the earthquake and resulting need to build makeshift shelters and clear rubble. Shelter and Infrastructure Early Shelter assessments reveal there is widespread loss and severe damage to houses. There remains urgent, unmet need for shelter assistance to more than 70,000 households, according to the Humanitarian Response Plan. BNPB reports an estimated 99,943 tents are still needed to cover the affected population. In response there are 28 organizations participating in the shelter cluster whose focus is on the following priority needs: general emergency shelter assistance including tents and tarpaulins; household kits; mosquito nets; sleeping mats and blankets. Gaps and constraints remain as the Shelter Cluster reports that shelter for 80,000 families (tarps and tents) will arrive in the next week (mid October 2009). The cluster says that two-thirds of that amount will be distributed by October 23, 2009. A further 55,000 tents are planned to arrive in the next 2 to 3 weeks. Inaccessibility remains a major challenge in the distribution of shelter supplies as most military helicopters are no longer available for distribution use. Of the families surveyed, most people had received some form of aid in at least two areas. Eleven percent received an emergency kit with a tarp or tent, 15 percent received hygiene kits, three percent received a demolition/reconstruction tool kit, and 11 percent received blankets. Ninety percent of those interviewed received aid from other sources unspecified. Currently, the situation at the village level remains bleak. In the villages we visited roughly 50 percent of the homes had collapsed and an additional 40 percent had substantial structural 4

damage. Most collapsed homes were poorly constructed. With very few exceptions, the collapsed homes lacked vertical or horizontal wall reinforcement and appropriate foundations. Material also proved to be a critical factor. A large number of the collapsed buildings were constructed in a local method, using river rock masonry, laid with weak mortar. In the surveyed villages, 65 percent of the earthquake-affected households are constructing makeshift shelters using salvaged materials. However, those shelters are in most cases poorly constructed, and ill-equipped to withstand an earthquake. They will also not withstand strong winds or adequately keep households dry during the upcoming rainy season. Eleven percent were using tents, three percent had tarps, and 24 percent of households had no shelter structure on sight and more likely were hosted by relatives and friends. In addition to the deficits in construction quality, the self-built shelter in many cases is overcrowded with multiple families sharing a single shelter. Although the households surveyed had an average of five family members, some had more than twice that number. Another problem with many of the self-built shelters is that they have been erected in the center of the property. This will make it impossible to reconstruct the permanent house without removing the shelter. The main construction materials used in the visited villages are corrugated iron sheets, timber, mud bricks, river rocks, silt, sand and gravel. Lime is used instead of cement in the mortar of homes in rural areas. From those surveyed, a majority of the houses were built using a mix of materials. Close to 56 percent of the surveyed homes were build out of masonry (bricks or stones), 14 percent out of wood, and eight percent used concrete blocks. With exception of bricks, sand and gravel, which are commonly produced at the village level, most construction materials are purchased from suppliers located no more than 10 kilometers away from the visited villages. In the communities we have surveyed, the house is typically either built by the head of household, or acquired through inheritance. In the process of building a house, it is common for a family to hire building professionals, such as a mason. However the family often will contribute the majority of the unskilled labor. For this reason, earthquake resistance training should directly target the community as well as professional builders. The prices of cement, corrugated iron, bricks, sand and gravel have slightly increased around 10 percent since the earthquake struck. However, we expect a sharp increase once reconstruction begins. In addition to the damage inflicted to shelters, many schools and clinics were damaged. There is a need for rehabilitation and reconstruction of these sites. UNICEF has established temporary learning spaces using school tents and provision of basic teaching and learning materials including schools-in-a-box, black boards, and other teaching aids. According to key informant interviews the cost of a properly constructed confined masonry home in the affected area range from 1.67 to 1.8 million rupiah per square meter, and the average size of homes in the area are approximately 36 square meters. 5

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Preliminary water and sanitation assessments confirm the extensive destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure throughout the three most directly affected areas: Padang City, Pariaman and Agam. More than 50,000 people have been identified in the Sumatra Humanitarian Response Plan as requiring assistance. Of the families interviewed, half of the families were without their main water source for at least one day. Boiling water is the method used to treat water in 75 percent of the households. Few families reported cases of diarrhea, and those that did were mostly male of varying ages. Household latrines were the most common toilet facility in homes before the earthquake; the river has become the most frequently used place for open defecation after the earthquake. Only 27 percent of the interviewed households confirmed they had an usable latrine on the property, and only 32 percent had a functioning well. A majority of those interviewed do wash their hands, and almost all had soap available on the day of the survey. Water, sanitation and hygiene in the affected areas varies greatly. In Padang City water has been restored in most places. Two water purification/desalinization units are operational now in the city. Two water supply systems have been activated through generators provided to the water management committee, and is reaching an estimated 500 households. 6

IV. Main Findings and Recommendations 1. 2. 3. 4. There is need to provide for basic assistance such as shelter, cash, and food. Focus on improving the shelter conditions by providing transitional shelters that meet sphere standards while including some construction hazard mitigation measures. Communities have already started building emergency makeshift shelters. However, the quality of the makeshift shelters is generally poor. Immediately engage in activities that help communities protect and recover their livelihoods. 5. 6. 7. The main sources of livelihoods for rural communities are under threat. Water disruption in irrigation systems are threatening the next rice crop as well causing losses to the fish farmers. Small-scale agro-industries and small businesses will need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis as some families have farmland and others do not. In addition, many households are using their time to build shelter and remove rubble and are not able to engage in other productive activities. 8. 9. Increase community understanding of appropriate construction practices and train a cadre of constructors, masons, and carpenters on earthquake resistant construction. The impact of the earthquake was exacerbated by poor construction practices in the affected area. Most collapsed homes lacked the most basic construction hazard mitigation measures: walls lacked vertical and horizontal reinforcement; homes did not have foundations or were inadequate; the mortar used was poor and lacked cohesiveness; and openings were inappropriately located or too big. 10. Provide guidance and trainings to communities on the usefulness of key materials for reconstruction rather than use for makeshift structures. 11. Households are currently using recycled materials to build shelters. In most circumstances this is a good practice. However, in this case, humanitarian actors should foster the salvaging of valuable construction materials that could be used later in permanent housing and provide transitional materials for transitional housing. 12. Earthquake resistance training should directly target the community as well as professional builders. In the communities we have surveyed, the house is typically either built by the head of household, or acquired through inheritance. In the process of building a house, it is common for a family to hire building professionals, such as a mason. However the family often will contribute the majority of the unskilled labor. 7