UK aid sending shelter and water purifiers to help people left homeless by Indonesian disasters

The UK is flying out shelter kits to protect people who have been forced to flee their homes following the recent earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia, as well as solar lanterns and water purifiers, International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt announced on October 3.

A flight is due to leave from Doncaster Sheffield Airport early on 4 October, transporting life-saving UK aid supplies from the Department for International Development (DFID) to the disaster zone.

There are currently over 70,000 people who been left homeless as a result of the disaster in Indonesia, and the shelter kits will protect thousands of displaced families.

Ms. Mordaunt also announced an additional £1 million to be made available to support immediate relief efforts on the ground. This takes the current level of immediate direct UK support to the disaster response up to £3 million.

This is on top of substantial existing UK funded support through partners on the ground, including the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) and UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).

“It is essential we get vital UK aid supplies – including shelter kits – to those affected by the recent earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia as quickly as possible. This is extremely challenging given the devastation. The UK stands side-by-side with the people of Indonesia who remain in our thoughts at this terrible time. We will help, in the immediate aftermath and in the long term too,” said International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt.

Original source: DFID
Published on 3 October 2018