Could you please give us some brief information on the current situation of refugees in Indonesia? I hear the situation is pretty bad.
Answer
Alicia: Sorry for the delay. Technical problems. Indonesia is the by far the hardest hit country since it was closest to the earthquake that caused the tsunami. Of the estimated 159,000 dead, 113,000 are Indonesians, mostly from Aceh province at the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. There are also 10,000 Indonesians missing and more than 500,000 displaced from their homes.
Sri Lanka was the next most affected, with 30,000 dead, 4,300 still missing and nearly 600,000 displaced. In all, 11 countries around the Indian Ocean rim were affected by the tsunami.
The United Nations calls this the largest and most complex relief operation ever mounted in its 60 year existence.
International pledges now total $3.7 billion but the effort to rebuild so many shattered lives and communities will cost more than that and take many years.
Name
Mustafa
- Turkey
Profession
Question
Salaams,
I have been wundering what can govts do to be prepared for like what happned in Asia? What systems need they to have to prepare for emergencies like a tsunami or earthquake or volcano or anything like that?
Thansk!
Answer
Mustafa:
There is a technical answer, which is to put in place a tsunami warning system (with seismic detectors, etc) like the one that covers the Pacific Ocean. This will also require a commitment from local governments to train local officials--police, fire, health, etc.--to be able to receive the warning alerts and translate that into a plan of action to get people away from low-lying coastal areas.
Name
Joanne
- United States
Profession
Question
Thank you for this opportunity to chat with you Dr. Robinson.
My question is that when people come together in makeshift camps in large numbers, they are prone to many different forms of diseases. What can be done in such emergency situations to prevent the spread of diseases?
Thank you for your time
Answer
Joanne: You are quite right about the risk of disease increasing as people are crowded into camps. The need is first of all for clean water for drinking and cooking. The expensive solution is to truck this or pipe this in from other places. Less expensive and also effective is to distribute chlorine tablets for water purification. There is also a need for adequate shelter to help people stay dry and protected from mosquitos which spread malaria and dengue. Food must be sufficient to prevent malnutrition and help people ward off infection. Adequate sanitation and waste disposal is also critical.
Name
Pankaj
- India
Profession
Question
Good evening doctor.
the Dec 26 earthquake/tsunami caused so much death and injuries and destruction. There are orphans and parents without chidren. What do authorities need to do to help these people get thru the psychological stress of what happned to them? and how can refugee camps be made to be not as bad as they seem to be to help these people get past their tragedies in these dire times?
Thank you
Answer
Pankaj: Both good questions. So many families have been shattered, there is a need for psycho-social interventions that are culturally appropriate to help children and adults deal with the trauma and grief. There is also a need to help orphaned children find relatives or families from their community so they can reconnect with someone they know.
Generally, the humanitarian community tries to promote local answers rather than, say, adoption in a country far away. Counseling, family tracing and special protection for orphaned and unaccompanied children need to be getting into place right away, whether that is in a camp or in a rebuilding community.
Name
Mustapha
-
Profession
Question
Aren't refugee camps a gold mine for missionaries? I have heard of many instances where relief organizations go to disaster-stricken areas with the intention of converting the victims from their origingal religion? What is your opinion on this?
Answer
Mustapha: It is true that some organizations see the relief effort as an opportunity to do missionary work. First of all, it is not permissible to proselytize if the organization is receiving UN or US government funding.
Second, most (though not all) non-governmental organizations who have a good track record in relief understand that the task at hand is to help save lives and restore people back to health. When people are vulnerable it is unfair to use food or other aid as a mechanism for conversion. I do think it is appropriate, however, for aid groups that have a religious affiliation to be open about how their faith might motivate them to help. That would apply not only to Christian but Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or other religious charities as well.
Name
Ahmed
- United Arab Emirates
Profession
Question
If I wanted to volunteer to help the refugees in ASia right now, especially Indonesia, where should I go? Who do I speak with?
Answer
Ahmed: I don't know what opportunities exist coming from the UAE. You might look at www.reliefweb.int, which is an excellent source of information about the tsunami disaster and the relief effort. There is a listing of vacancies for jobs in humanitarian work.
At this point, the international relief agencies and their local counterparts are indicating that the need is for expert assistance and for continued financial support for the relief and reconstruction effort.
Name
Somaia
- Jordan
Profession
Question
Doctor..thank u for this intersting conversation.
I want to ask about orphans in refugee camps. What do aid agencies do to protect them from sex trafficers for example? I heard that this might be a problem in Thailand now...people claiming to be the childrens parents and then taking them for the sex trade. What can be done to protect these children?
Answer
Somaia: We have heard of these reports and they are being taken seriously. One way to protect children in camps is to require proper ID for everyone coming into and leaving the camp. If someone should try to leave with a child without being able to show they are a blood relative they are stopped.
Another way is to put out warnings to all relief agencies and local government officials that trafficking is a risk and that all orphaned and unaccompanied children should be monitored and protected (even if they are not in a camp) until a family member or guardian can be found.
Name
Zablon
- Kenya
Profession
Question
what kind of training to people receive that work in aid agencies? is it totally a volunteer effort and people going to these places just from the good of their heart? do releif agencies require people to be trained first? and what kind of training?
Answer
Zablon: There are guidelines and minimal standards for working in relief. These are followed by governments, UN agencies and the more professional non-governmental organizations. Unfortunately, there are also lots of voluteers who go out and try to help without any training. While I admire their concern and enthusiasm, the relief effort may be better served if they could channel their concern to support those who have better training to respond in life-or-death circumstances.
Name
John
- Belgium
Profession
Question
how can we make sure that the money we send to relief organizations actually reaches the people that need it?
Answer
John: The best way is, first of all, to give your money to an organization you know about and have some trust in. Second, ask for direct and detailed answers about how the aid will be spent. Agencies should be held accountable for how your contribution is used. The better ones will have clear answers, supported by independent audits of their financial accounts.
Be wary, by the way, of unsolicited appeals coming by mail or over the internet from groups you have never heard about. Crises like this are an attractive target for cheats and frauds.
Name
Subrata
- India
Profession
Question
Doctor..i noticed in one of your answers you mentioned the word 'culturally appropriate'. With so many relief agencies pouring in from around the world to Asia, how can people from other places in the world provide care that is culturally appropriate to a part of the world they know very little of? BAasicially what im asking is how can a westerner give culturally appropriate care and counseling to someone in the far east?
Answer
Subrata:
They can do this first of all by partnering with local organizations and/or hiring local staff who can help provide not only translation but understanding of local contexts.
It is also important to go in with a humble attitude that one does not know all of the answers. A good relief worker is committed to listening and adapting to local realities.
In doing psycho-social assessments and counseling, this is even more critical. How do Acehnese define grief, stress, depression? Who would people normally turn to in a time of crisis: an older family member, a religious figure, a doctor or health worker? These are the same people that need to be turned to now, but recognizing that the whole community is now in crisis.
Name
Sara
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
Doctor Robinson,
What could possibly have been done to decrease the number of casualities in Asia's hjorrible disaster? Can a government ever be prepared for something like this? Was there anything that could have been done to avoid so much death and destruction?
Answer
Sara:
Early warning systems could have reduced the number of casualties, though probably not by much in Indonesia where the waves hit in some places within minutes of the earthquake. Elsewhere, early warning might have helped substantially. But there is also a need to look at bigger issues like coastal settlement patterns, building codes, environmental degradation, and even global warming that, with the growing population worldwide (especially in parts of Asia) expose larger numbers of people to the hazards of natural disasters.
Name
Leila
-
Profession
Question
I would like to know what refugee action groups do for refugees exactly. do they provide them with food and necessities as well as money?
Do they help them start their lives over again in a different place? What happens to disaster victims exactly?
Answer
Leila: Relief groups can do many things for refugees and displaced people. First, they try to provide basic necessities like shelter, food, water and medical care. Then they focus on helping people either go back home and rebuild or, if it is not possible to go back to one's original home, to resettle somewhere else.
Typically, no single agency is responsible for doing all of these things but it is the role of the entire humanitarian community to see that all these different tasks are carried out effectively and at the appropriate time.
Name
Joel
- United States
Profession
Question
How long does it normally take to send in teams to help refugees and displaced people in their time of need? Are there teams around the world just waiting for these disasters to happen? Do governments give these teams quick access to their countries? Or is there a lot of beaurocracy involved in getting visas/permits etc?
Answer
Joel: The short answer is that it always seems to take too long to respond to disasters, even though there are better systems now in place with people on stand-by to respond quickly. Sometimes the delays have to do with information getting out in a timely way, sometimes the delays are logistical (getting tickets, visas, finding a way to affected areas when infrastructure is damaged) and sometimes, as you say, governments (or possibly insurgent groups) put up barriers to immediate relief. In most cases, there were relief teams (local and international) at affected sites within 24 hours of the first reports. As they found out, however, especially in Indonesia, the devastation was greater than anyone could have first imagined. We lost a few precious days in the initial response. We should be sure that we stay the course until rebuilding is complete.
