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Tsunami in Asia/Pacific : UN is responding with rapid support teams

883 views · Published 5 October 2009 · 2:12 · Indexed 20 September 2026

Channel: United Nations · 2009 · News & Politics

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United Nations, New York, 5 October 2009 - We have an update on the United Nations' response to the series of natural disasters across Asia and the Pacific last week. 
While in Bangkok today, UN Development Programme Administrator Helen Clark said that the UN is responding with rapid support teams in Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines, Samoa and Tonga to support government efforts. She added that UN agencies and non-governmental organizations began working within hours after the catastrophes hit and that UNDP was now preparing to support countries'  plans for longer-term recovery. 
A nine-member UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team was deployed to Sumatra, Indonesia after it was hit by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake last week. Food, tents and emergency shelter, medical supplies, hygiene kits, petrol, generators, heavy equipment, water and sanitation assistance, education and post-traumatic counseling have been identified as priority needs. 
Meanwhile, UNICEF says that nearly 70,000 children have returned to school today in the Indonesian city of Padang, where it has erected the first of 250 planned classrooms tents. UNICEF adds that more students are expected to return to school across the region in the coming days. 
In the Philippines, the World Food Programme (WFP) has established a three-month emergency operation to provide food assistance to one million people affected by the severe flooding there. 
In Samoa, hit by a tsunami wave last week, a UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination is also on the ground and UNDP has made available an initial emergency grant of $100,000 to support coordination efforts, a needs assessment and an early recovery plan. 
Finally, according to UNDP, senior UN experts are arriving in Tonga to propose early recovery plans as humanitarian assistance is being deployed.

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