Flood relief efforts (Jakarta, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi)

Thursday, 1st February 2007, Jakarta. Heavy rains lashed Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, with such fury that it caused the worst flood in years. The downpour continued for 2 weeks, causing widespread flooding.

An estimated 340,000 people were driven from their homes, and hundreds of thousands were deprived of electricity and clean water. Tens of thousands of homes, buildings, schools, hospitals and offices were completely submerged under filthy water up to 4 meters high. There were times when the city's airport was accessible only by high-wheeled vehicles.

Along with the rising waters came the threat of contaminated water and water-borne diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid, cholera and dysentery. Residents could only rely on paramedics patrolling on rubber rafts for medical attention.

In response to the tragedy, HDI Foundation quickly worked with our volunteers to distribute dry food, drinking water, blankets, medical supplies and a total of 5,250 bottles of food supplement. A total of 6,161 people from 7 municipalities benefited.