Disasters hit South-East Asia

Children are in desperate need after three deadly disasters in four days hit South-East Asia. We're saving children’s lives by providing food, water and other vital aid in all locations.

Ajayunarti and her daughter Riska carry hygiene kits and a set of plastic tents, distributed by Save the Children, to their village Pasadamah,  Lingkung Subdistrict. Their home was destroyed after a devastating 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck the West Sumatran region where they live.

A series of deadly disasters have struck communities in the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’: Sumatra, Vietnam, Philippines and Samoa. A tsunami, a cyclone and earthquakes have devastated communities. Families have fled their homes and lost all their possessions. Children are injured, frightened and vulnerable. We’re responding in all locations to help those in need.

Sumatra earthquake, Indonesia

Two earthquakes struck off the coast of Sumatra on 30 September. The city of Padang, with a population of 900,000, has been badly affected.  

  • The death toll from the earthquake has now hit 1,117 and 2.5 million people have been affected by the disaster.
  • Around 250,000 families have been made homeless, with many too frightened to return home. Thousands of schools, hospitals and places of worship have also been damaged or destroyed.
  • Power lines and telecommunications have been severely affected.

We're one of the only orgnisations carrying out distributions of essentials, such as basic household equipment, to families in need. We've already distributed shelter and hygiene kits to 122,475 people, including 61,237 children, in Pariman district in Indonesia's West Sumatra.

We’ve been working in Sumatra for more than 30 years. We’ve been providing assistance to survivors of an earthquake, which hit Western Java, Indonesia at the beginning of September.

Typhoon Ketsana, Vietnam

Over 3 million people have been affected by Typhoon Ketsana, which struck Vietnam on 28 September, causing the worst flooding in decades and bringing winds of 150 mph. Just five week's later, Typhoon Mirinae has hit Vietnam, and at least 90 people have so far been killed in floods.

  • At least 163 people have died and at least 150,000 people were forced to flee their homes.
  • We estimate that around 500,000 people are in need of humanitarian assistance, especially in the badly-affected Quang Tri and Hue provinces.
  • The worst-hit areas are located in mountainous areas, which are difficult to reach. and were devastated by flash floods.

So far we've distributed food and kits with essential items, such as rice, blankets, mosquito nets and jerry cans, to approximately 100,000 people.  We've distributed cash to 400 households (around 2,000 people), to enable them to buy essential assets that help them earn and living and recover such as livestock, seeds, and tools. In the coming weeks we'll be deistributing more cash, improving access to healthcare, providing fortified food to children vulnerable to malnutrition, restoring acces to clean water supplies and distributing school kits to children.

Typhoon Ketsana and Parma, Philippines

Children in the Philippines' capital city, Manila, and the surrounding districts of the city are desperately in need of food, clean water and safe shelter following the devastating impact of two typhoons in October, first Ketsana then Parma one week later. During Typhoon Ketsana, 34mm of heavy rain fell in a six-hour period —  the heaviest rainfall since 1967, and equivalent to the average monthly rainfall. The typhoons triggered landslides, making access to remote communities difficult. Northern Luzon, an island in the Philippines, is still experiencing extreme weather conditions and flood waters in many parts have still not receded.

  • 8.7 million people have been affected
  • Hundreds of thousands of homes were destroyed or damaged and the economic cost of the damages from the storms is estimated at approximately $650 million.
  • 902 people have died and more than 1.9 million were forced from their homes. 
  • Thousands are still living in temporary shelters. Conditions are poor - there is a lack of clean water and sanitation - and cases of typhoid and cholera have been confirmed.

We've already reached around 50,000 people with food and other essentials, such as clothes and soap. We've set up safe play spaces for children in a number of evacuation centres and are distributing school kits to children to help them continue their education. We're preparing to help families recovery with income-generating activities.

Samoan tsunami

An earthquake of 8.3 magnitude struck approximately 150 km off the southern coast of Samoa in the Pacific Ocean, triggering a tsunami which caused damage across parts of Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga and Kiribati.

  • More than 129 people are dead and more than 3,000 people have fled their homes.

Help us reach more familes

Millions of people have lost everything they own, and have no way of earning a living. Children are exposed to disease, and are at risk of being separated from their parents, or suffering from physical harm, deprivation and trauma. Save the Children is mobilising staff, funds and supplies to respond to all the areas affected.

Help us reach more children affected by this series of disasters.

Read blogs from our staff working in these emergencies.

Bookmark this page with: