Natural disasters in Asia Pacific: MSF emergency teams in Indonesia, the Philippines and Samoa islands

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Several MSF emergency teams have already arrived or are flying to countries in Asia Pacific after a succession of natural disasters in the region. In Indonesia, Philippines and the Samoa islands, MSF will focus its activities to meet identified unmet needs, from surgical care to distribution of relief items.

MSF specialists are currently assessing people’s needs and setting up the appropriate emergency response to cover gaps in medical care or relief. In Indonesia, where the number of wounded is still unknown following the earthquake, specialists are assessing the need for orthopaedic surgical care and nephrologists care as a priority. In the Philippines, where 450,000 people have been displaced by floods, assessment teams are focusing on needs in isolated areas, as well as evaluating the water and sanitation conditions. In the Samoa islands, the team includes a psychologist.

Orthopaedic surgery and nephrology

"In the first hours after a natural disaster, immediate life-saving interventions are carried out by local medical staff,” said Marie-Noëlle RODRIGUE, an MSF emergency operations manager. “In the case of Indonesia, we know that the country has good capacity to respond to the emergency. But our experience after earthquakes shows that international medical teams have an added-value in terms of specialized medical care, specifically orthopaedic surgery or nephrologists care. We have the capacity to set up an inflatable hospital quickly, with two operation theatres and dozens of beds for patient hospitalisation. It’s the same kind of structure we used in Manshera, in Pakistan in 2005, where the surgical team carried out around 500 orthopaedic procedures after the earthquake.”

MSF sent emergency teams with medical materials from Brussels, Paris and Panama to Indonesia on Thursday 1 October.  Three　nephrologists from the ‘Renal Disaster Relief Task Force’ (University of Ghent, Belgium) are leaving together with the MSF team. They will carry out dialysis in order to treat people suffering from ‘crush syndrome’, a condition in which muscle tissue damaged by severe internal injury may release massive quantities of toxins into the bloodstream and lead to kidney failure. Left untreated, crush syndrome can be fatal.

Isolated areas

"Besides medical needs, often there are also isolated groups of people left in dire situations for days or sometimes weeks after natural disasters such as earthquakes or floods,” said Marie-Noëlle Rodrigue. “Our teams focus on the most vulnerable populations, like those who have most difficulties reaching assistance because they live in isolated areas, to provide medical care or distribute relief depending on the needs.”

After a quick assessment of the needs in Rizal Province, in the Philippines, an MSF medical team has started to provide medical care to people in an evacuation centre in the location of Montalban.  On Wednesday, 30 September, around 80 medical consultations were provided.

Many of the poorest people who were living close to the river have had their homes and belongings washed away in the floodwaters. MSF is providing non-food items such as blankets, cooking pots, mattresses, jerry cans and hygiene kits.

Psychological care

The range of activities after natural disasters includes psychological care, like in China in 2008. Two psychologists are on their way, one to Samoa islands and the other to Indonesia. Others are on stand by.

Events and details of MSF activities in each area

Indonesia
An earthquake of magnitude 7.6 struck off the city of Padang, on the western coast of Indonesia's Sumatra Island, on Wednesday, 30 September at 5:16 pm local time. According to the government, more than 750 people have been killed and thousands are trapped under rubble. The worst affected areas are said to be the cities of Padang and Pariaman.

The first MSF team departs for Indonesia on 1 October and includes a coordinator, a nurse, and a psychologist. They are leaving together with three nephrologists from the 'Renal Disaster Relief Task Force’ (University of Ghent, Belgium). A second team of three staff with experience in natural disasters is leaving from Panama the same day. More surgeons, nurses, logisticians and a psychologist will leave from Barcelona, Athens, Paris and Brussels to Indonesia as soon as possible.

Relief material and medical equipment to be flown to Indonesia are under preparation, in Brussels and in Bordeaux.

The Philippines
Tropical storm Ketsana hit the northern Philippines on 26 September, killing 240 people and displacing 450,000.

An MSF medical team has already started to provide medical care and non-food items to people in an evacuation centre in Montalban. Other MSF teams are assessing ten other locations in Rizal and Bulacan Provinces to identify needs. The assessments are focusing on locations where the response so far has been limited. A team of 13 MSF international staff is on the ground to respond to the emergency. Four medical and water and sanitation specialists with emergency experience are also arriving on Saturday.

Samoa Islands
A powerful earthquake of magnitude 8.3 struck in the South Pacific between Samoa and American Samoa on 29 September at 6:48 am local time. The earthquake caused four tsunami waves up 4 to 6 metres high that reached up to 1.5 kilometres inland. According to the authorities, at least 150 people were killed and hundreds are missing in Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga islands. The highest death toll is in Samoa.

An MSF team made up of three people (a coordinator, a logistician specialized in water and sanitation and a medical doctor) is leaving Australia for Samoa on Friday 2 October.

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