US provides aid to victims of Mount Sinabung eruption

The U.S. government, through the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing financial and technical assistance to residents impacted by the recent eruption of Mount Sinabung in Karo regency, North Sumatra.

The immediate needs of the displaced Indonesians are the priority and the assistance amount currently totals $50,000, according to a press statement by the U.S. Embassy released Monday.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) are using the funds to provide for the purchase, distribution and replenishment of relief items such as face masks, hygiene kits, water containers, blankets, plastic sheeting and sleeping mats.  

The assistance will also be used to improve sanitation and hygiene services and provide psychosocial support in camps for displaced persons.

USAID/OFDA is also providing technical assistance and equipment through the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP) to The Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) to strengthen volcano monitoring and response in the area.  

The equipment, valued at approximately $35,000, will create a seismic monitoring network near Mount Sinabung to provide better data on volcano-related earthquakes that serve as precursors to eruptions.   

The Mount Sinabung volcano, located in North Sumatra Province, erupted for the first time in more than 400 years on Aug. 29.  The initial eruption was followed by several subsequent eruptions, displacing approximately 30,000 people.