Hon Murray McCully
Minister of Foreign Affairs

29 October 2010 Media Statement
New Zealand aid following Mentawai Tsunami

New Zealand has provided an initial $450,000 in emergency funding to support the immediate relief and reconstruction effort following the Mentawai tsunami, Foreign Minister Murray McCully announced today.

“Reports out of Mentawai show that the situation is worse than initially thought. The numbers of fatalities are rising and the latest official figures put the death toll at 311, and 400 missing,” Murray McCully said.

“Hundreds of people have been injured and more than 4,000 families have had to leave their homes.

“Immediately after the tsunami struck, New Zealand made $40,000 available to SurfAid International, a non government organisation working in the affected area, to carry out a rapid assessment of damage and loss of life and to provide some initial emergency supplies for local communities. We have now increased our contribution to $450,000.

“The Indonesian Government has not called for further help from the international community but has welcomed assistance from agencies already working in Indonesia.

“New Zealand stands ready to provide further assistance if required – especially given that the eruption of Mount Merapi is also requiring an emergency response from the Indonesian authorities,” Murray McCully said.

SurfAid International is a non-profit humanitarian organisation which works to improve the health, wellbeing and self-reliance of people living in isolated regions.

ENDS

© Scoop Media