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October 24, 2018

How UNHCR delivered tents to Indonesian earthquake and tsunami survivors

UNHCR tents being shipped to Indonesia.

 

When natural disasters strike or people flee violence, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, mobilizes quickly to ensure they have the shelter, food, clean water and medical care they need to survive and rebuild their lives. It’s a lifeline for people who just lost everything.

After a recent 7.4 magnitude earthquake and a tsunami devastated the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, UNHCR sprang into action to help the survivors of the earthquake and tsunami.

Have you ever wondered how humanitarian supplies are transported around the world at a moment’s notice?

Step 1: Identify where the humanitarian supplies are

UNHCR has humanitarian supplies stored in warehouses around the world. Once an emergency response plan is developed, UNHCR determines where the closest warehouse with the needed supplies is.

In the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, UNHCR airlifted tents from Amman, Jordan to Indonesia. Each tent can house up to five people so families can stay together. But a tent gives a family so much more than protection from the elements; it provides hope and relief that they will have a safe place to sleep. 

UNHCR airlifted a shipment of 1,400 emergency tents to Indonesia to meet the ongoing needs for survivors of last month's deadly earthquake and tsunami in Sulawesi.

Step 2: Deliver the supplies

UNHCR is working with the Indonesian government and the Indonesian Red Cross to distribute emergency relief items. Once the tents arrived at the airport in Indonesia, they were unloaded from the plane by airmen from the United States Air Force. The supplies were then loaded onto another plane that delivered the tents to the earthquake and tsunami survivors in Sulawesi.

Shelter and aid delivered to earthquake survivors.

Step 3: Set up the tents

Once the airlift arrived in Sulawesi, the Indonesian Army helped humanitarian workers set up the tents quickly so the survivors would have a safe shelter.

Thanks to the support of people like you, UNHCR has delivered 1,700 emergency tents and 12,400 plastic sheets to waterproof and reinforced damaged homes.

Indonesia army erects UNHCR tents for survivors of earthquake and Tsunami in Donggala, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Step 4: Create a new home

A tent can’t ever replace the homes the survivors tragically lost during the earthquake and the tsunami. However, they can bring comfort and safety. This family made their tent feel more like home with blankets and mats.

A baby seen in temporary shelter for survivors of earthquake.

Here's how you can do even more...

In a world facing record levels of displacement from natural disasters and violence, your support matters now more than ever. With your gift today, you can offer displaced people the safety, food, clean water and medical care they need to survive. You can give them hope.