March 2007 Earthquake Relief

On March 6, 2007, two earthquakes, measuring 6.4 and 6.3, struck around 11 a.m. local time near the city of Padang on western Sumatra.  These quakes left over 135,000 persons homeless.

"This time, it was not only very strong but also lasted a long time," said 75-year-old Nurbari, a grandmother sitting under a large plastic sheet strung between trees in front of her house.  "The last time there was such a strong earthquake, that crumpled buildings and left large cracks on the ground, I was still very young.”

"I have no house, my husband is jobless and I have to feed my five children," said 45-year-old Hartati, one of 100 survivors packed in a tent about the size of a basketball court.   "I may have to rely on handouts. We have no savings," she said, holding one of her small children.

Others cooked on firewood and slept on palm leaf mats in temporary tarpaulin shelters outside their flattened homes.   "I accept this as God's will. I'm lucky to stay alive whereas many people have died," said 45-year-old Zulkifli, a farmer from Bukittinggi.   "The earthquake is Allah's reminder to us."

Mercy-USA for Aid and Development’s Response

During April 2007, Mercy-USA's office in Indonesia provided food packages and two blankets each to 750 families affected by these earthquakes.  Each food package contained: 22 pounds of rice, 4.4 lb. of sugar, 2 liters of oil, 1 box of instant noodles (40 packages), 2 cans of sardines, 2 lb. of biscuits, one pint of condensed sweetened milk, tea and coffee.

Specifics on these distributions are listed in the table below: