Habitat Rebuilds Over 1,000 Homes On Second Anniversary Of West Java and Sumatra Earthquakes

September 2nd, 2011

Habitat for Humanity Indonesia Also Completes Schools And Community Centers

A core house built by HFH Indonesia in Sumatra

BANGKOK, 2 September 2011: Two years ago, Indonesia was hit by two earthquakes within a month. To date, Habitat has supported more than 1,000 families to rebuild their homes.

On 30 September 2009, Sumatra, an island in western Indonesia was struck by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake. Less than four weeks earlier, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake had devastated West Java.

The two earthquakes killed more than 1,000 people, and thousands more were injured. Tens of thousands of people were affected.

Habitat for Humanity (HFH) Indonesia set to work after the earthquakes, designing and putting into operation disaster response programs in both locations.

In Sumatra, HFH Indonesia’s disaster response program is still ongoing in the Padang Pariaman area with more than 850 families already supported to renovate or build new homes. HFH Indonesia also built three new schools and renovated an existing one. In some locations, like Padang Ampalu, HFH Indonesia is involved with a resettlement project, with 51 new homes built to date. The community has also benefitted from construction training, the creation of a drainage system and three water towers were constructed in July this year.

In West Java, HFH Indonesia worked in Pangalengan, a district about 48 kilometers (30 miles) south of the major city of Bandung, which became a major site for displaced people. Starting in October 2009, HFH Indonesia worked with 153 families across eleven villages in Pangalengan, to build houses and two school buildings, finishing the program in February 2011.