Medan – Ambassador Robert Blake provided an additional $200,000 for logistical support as part of the ongoing emergency response to the Mount Sinabung eruptions in North Sumatra. The U.S. government is supporting operations and logistics through Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) as the agency continues to manage the emergency response to the Mt. Sinabung eruptions in Karo District, and assist affected populations. This funding is in addition to the $100,000 released on February 6 to provide critical supplies to those displaced in the aftermath of the eruptions.
“For those displaced from their homes, I hope the assistance provided from the American people will provide some comfort until they can leave the evacuation centers,” said Ambassador Robert Blake.
Through the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), this new contribution will support BNPB’s emergency logistics management of the Sinabung disaster. The assistance will be used to train and mentor BNPB staff, and ensure effective emergency relief response to the populations displaced by the eruptions.
USAID’s on-going Volcano Disaster Assistance Program is providing technical assistance and equipment to the Center of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM) to strengthen volcano monitoring and response in the Sinabung area. The equipment created a seismic monitoring network and was used by CVGHM to establish three seismic field stations and a base station for real-time monitoring of the volcano and provide up-to-date information to the surrounding community, helping to save lives.
For more information please contact Dian Lumbantoruan, Public Affairs Assistant, at 061-451-9000 or LumbantoruanDM@state.gov.
