Indonesia is prone to earthquakes as it sits on the Pacifi c Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin. In 2004, a magnitude 9.1 quake off of Indonesia triggered a tsunami that killed over 125,000 people in Aceh.

On July 2, a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck Aceh, the epicenter of which was located 35 kilometers southwest of Bener Meriah, Aceh, at a depth of 10 kilometers.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) announced that the death toll to date had reached 40 in Bener Meriah and Central Aceh regencies. The BNPB said the quake heavily damaged 1,905 houses, not to mention public facilities and infrastructure.

The BNPB team, the Indonesian National Disaster Rapid Response and Assistance (SRC PB), the Social Services Ministry, the Health Ministry and the Public Works Ministry, have been in Bener Meriah for coordination and rapid assessment.

The emergency period in Bener Meriah has been set for July 3-9. The situation report said that there were currently several aid programs being implemented supported by the Disaster Management Center: Dompet Dhuafa (DMC-DD), MDMC, Habitat for Humanity, YAKKUM Emergency Unit (YEU), PKPU and Muslim Aid.

After the initial fi eld assessment has been completed, the Aceh government should prepare intervention measures for both emergency response and recovery efforts in the affl icted areas.

These interventions provide assistance to the quake-affected communities through immediate early assistance and relief distribution and the reestablishment and rebuilding of affected communities with a particular focus on health, psychosocial support and disaster risk management.

The table below shows several interventions that will address the needs identified in the rapid assessment and situation reports.

Due to the short duration of the emergency response program, sustainability of the activities was not guaranteed. However, within the timeframe available, the government should ensure program sustainability.

The local government's capacity is limited and usually works on a strong top-down philosophy. Further government capacity building is critical for the sustainability of any long-term solutions. To affect this capacity building properly, it is necessary to establish a wider target group for government engagement, which includes provincial and national government representatives.

All components of future programs of this type (i.e. emergency) must incorporate strong collaboration with, and support for, local government recovery plans, as they evolve following a natural disaster.

Emergency response and recovery program objectives should also demonstrate a clear and direct link to the guidelines for post-disaster reconstruction and rehabilitation outlined by the BNPB and its local counterparts (BPBD).

Rapid assessment and implementation in collaboration with other NGOs/government are key to ensuring wider coverage for shared data and providing a holistic picture of the current situation and the needs of affected communities.

Moreover, a large number of target communities and wide scope of program activities (i.e working across multiple sectors) may reduce the overall impact of a long-term emergency recovery program. This approach will cover the gaps left by local government and other local and international NGOs (e.g. in clean water and sanitation).

However, by attempting to work across multiple sectors to address all the needs of a large target population, the long-term impact on the communities is diluted. Both aid agencies and the government should develop a policy position prior to the next disaster to determine if longerterm emergency recovery programs should focus on a small number of communities and attempt to provide a holistic program, or whether assistance should be provided across larger geographic areas and sectors.

Furthermore, the internal capacity for Emergency Readiness needs to be improved. Aid agencies should develop a basic manual for internal use that outlines the steps to be taken by the organization (as a whole) during the immediate response period, as well as during the subsequent early recovery phase. This manual is intended to help senior management effectively and effi ciently develop organizational response to future emergency situations.

While carrying out emergency response, many aid programs have experienced multiple delays due to landslides that had buried access to Bener Meriah. The successful implementation of programs requires the management of complex logistics and contingency planning.

Strong monitoring and evaluation are an integral part of program design and implementation. It is difficult to ensure that program components are measurable, especially in terms of impact. However, aid agencies should consider the development of basic M&E framework tailored specifically for an emergency response and recovery program for Aceh.

The writer is studying urban and regional planning at the University of Hawaii, Manoa.

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