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Disability in humanitarian context: views from affected people and field organizations

This report is based on the results of a global consultation carried out in 2015, as a contribution to the World Humanitarian Summit and is intended to better identify the changes needed for a disability-inclusive humanitarian response. A total of 769 responses were collected through three online surveys targeting persons with disabilities, disabled people's organizations and humanitarian actors.

With financial help from Humanity & Inclusion, more than 1,500 people helped clear roads blocked by debris from Typhoon Mangkhut in the Philippines.

Following the passage of Typhoon Mangkhut, which struck the northern Philippines on Sept. 14, HI traveled to the municipalities of Kalinga and Ifuago to identify the needs of disaster-affected people affected.

The typhoon destroyed or damaged more than one million acres of crops one month before harvest. In Pinukpuk, 90% of maize plantations and 60% of rice plantations were destroyed. The disaster hit farmers the hardest.

HI supplied relief in the municipality of Pinukpuk (Kalinga province), one of the worst affected areas. We distributed 80 clearance kits, consisting of wheelbarrows, shovels, knives, hammers, gloves, etc. to families in 23 villages. These kits were shared with villagers who will use them to clear roads and public areas. They benefited more than 40,000 people.

More than 1,500 workers were hired to support these clearance tasks (clearing roads, repairing pipes, etc.). These activities were carried out in close collaboration with local government units. "This project mobilizes a traumatized community around a collective project,” explains Reiza Dejito, Director of HI in the Philippines.

“It’s really positive. It strengthens ties and helps them overcome the shock of the disaster. All workers received a small sum of cash from HI in return, which they could use to buy food at the market. These actions are beneficial for everyone.”

Humanity & Inclusion in the Philippines

Present in the Philippines for more than 30 years, HI regularly works with people affected by natural disasters in the archipelago and launched a large-scale response to Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013, which affected more than 14 million people and claimed more than 6,000 lives. Three victims of Typhoon Haiyan recall how they coped with the tragedy. Learn more about our work in the Philippines.

The impact of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Indonesia on September 28 continues to be felt. Liquefaction, when saturated soil becomes liquidated, has engulfed entire villages, leaving more than 10,000 people injured and 800 missing.

Preparing to supply aid 

HI's emergency team is on the ground, preparing to supply appropriate aid to victims of the tsunami and its aftermath. "Our four HI experts have split into two teams,” explains Fanny Mraz, Director of HI's emergency teams. “One team is in the southern Sulawesi island city of Makkasar, which is home to an airport that can dispatch aid to the affected areas. The other team is in Jakarta, coordinating HI's response with the other organizations.

“The consequences of the tsunami, such as landslides and liquefaction, prevented rescue teams from gaining immediate access to some of the seriously affected areas.”

Humanitarian actors in Indonesia, including HI and its partner CIS-Timor, meet to organize aid for victims in Palu, Sulawesi.

Assessment of health needs

Despite these challenges, HI will soon complete our assessment of the health needs of tsunami victims and its consequences in Sulawesi, including rehabilitation, mental health, and psychosocial support. Our local partner, CIS-Timor, is analyzing the priority needs of those affected. “It’s clear that the greatest need is to assist the injured and to prevent the spread of diseases and respiratory infections, resulting from damage to water infrastructure.” Fanny adds.

Logistics challenges

"The situation on the ground is complicated and our teams face many challenges. More than 68% of health centers are not functioning correctly, which explains overcrowding in local hospitals. More than 10,000 people have been injured—among them, 2,000 have serious injures—and the numbers are rising. Because we are present in Makassar, we could provide material aid to victims very quickly, such as crutches or kits to cover essential needs.”

Humanity & Inclusion in Indonesia

HI has worked in Indonesia since 2005, regularly providing support to victims of natural disasters. Our team organizes disaster prevention workshops, and workshops to improve community resilience. Learn more about our work in Indonesia.

Photo caption (top of page): Damage in Palu's city center, Sulawesi following the earthquake and tsunami which struck Indonesia on Sept. 28.

A powerful earthquake struck Indonesia’s island of Sulawesi, triggering a violent tsunami measuring nearly 20 feet. The official death toll has passed 1,400, with more than 2,500 injured. Many hospitals have been damaged and more than 65,000 people are displaced. Humanity & Inclusion’s support team of experts is on the ground, coordinating our emergency response with local organizations.

As the situation begins to stabilize and access to the worst affected areas becomes possible, the number of victims continues to rise. “We have sent a sizeable team of emergency experts from HI to help," says Fanny Mraz, director of HI's emergency teams.

“When patients arrive in hospitals, in large numbers, our priority is to provide immediate rehabilitation care in order to prevent irreversible damage, including a permanent disability. We will also ensure that patients have psychological support, because this type of situation can be traumatizing.

"We are not working alone. Two of our local partner organizations are traveling to the Palu region to assess the needs there. In order to provide the best possible assistance to as many victims as possible, it is important to work with local medical teams who are already present in hospitals.”

Humanity & Inclusion in Indonesia

HI has worked in Indonesia since 2005, regularly providing support to victims of natural disasters. Our team organizes disaster prevention workshops, and workshops to improve community resilience. Learn more about our work in Indonesia.

Photo caption (top of page): People drive past a washed up boat and collapsed buildings in Palu on October 1, 2018, after an earthquake and tsunami hit the area.

On September 28, a tsunami struck the center of the Indonesian archipelago, killing more than 1,200 people. Humanity & Inclusion is preparing to help people with disabilities and those injured. Pauline Falipou, an emergency physical therapist with HI, provided rehabilitation care in the wake of the 2015 Nepal earthquake. She explains the rehabilitation needs of the Indonesian people who are facing this type of emergency today.

Two disasters, many victims

We’re dealing with two disasters in Indonesia: an earthquake and a tsunami. The mortality rate is usually high in this kind of situation, 1,200 people have already died, the majority of them from drowning. But we can also expect to see a lot of injuries—wounds, fractures, head injuries and lung infections—because the people rescued from drowning may have swallowed contaminated water. We need to take urgent action in order to help the injured.

Immediate rehabilitation care

In the early stages of an emergency, HI teams will work in hospitals, which are saturated with injured people. Depending on the sort of injuries and traumas we face, we work with emergency medical teams to ensure the best possible care for patients.

Among them are people who have been rescued from a near drowning. It's critical that they bring up any contaminated water they may have swallowed. Our staff show them exercises to move secretions up, through their lungs, and to clear them from their body.

For fractures and head injuries, we must provide rehabilitation care immediately following any operation to avoid permanent disabilities. Our rehabilitation team performs the initial procedures, provides technical assistance, and distributes mobility devices such as wheelchairs and crutches.  

Psychological support

We never work alone — always in conjunction with psychologists, psychosocial workers and local caregivers.

Trauma is one of the biggest challenges when hundreds of people have been injured or when they’ve experienced the loss of a loved one in a traumatic event like a tsunami. For example, while working in Nepal following the 2015 earthquake, I met children who had limbs amputated and others with spinal cord injuries who could no longer walk.

These are very difficult situations to cope with. Oftentimes, people need to go through a period of mourning in order to accept their new physical condition and the fact that they will require psychological support as well as rehabilitation care.

In Indonesia, we’re assessing the situation so we can better understand the injuries and trauma experienced by survivors.

Pauline Falipou, an emergency physical therapist with HI, examines the leg of a man following the 2015 earthquake in Nepal.

Humanity & Inclusion in Indonesia

HI has worked in the country since 2005, regularly providing support to victims of natural disasters. Our team organizes disaster prevention workshops and workshops to improve community resilience. Learn more about our work in Indonesia.

Photo caption (top of page): People drive past a washed up boat and collapsed buildings in Palu on October 1, 2018, after an earthquake and tsunami hit the area.

On September 28, a tsunami struck the center of the Indonesian archipelago, killing more than 840 people, injuring thousands, and displacing nearly 50,000 others. Humanity & Inclusion is mobilizing its team to identify the needs of victims and with support from local partners, we will conduct an assessment in the Sulawesi region.

More than 800 people have died and thousands need emergency assistance following an earthquake of 7.5 magnitude and a tsunami nearly 20 feet high, which struck the Sulawesi region. "More than 15,000 people have been displaced in the city of Palu alone,” warns Florence Daunis, Director of Operations at HI. They need immediate help.”

HI’s Indonesian partners will travel to the area in order to assess the needs of affected people. "For the time being, electricity is still down in Dongala city and there is no running water. In addition to our initial response to meet the essential needs of displaced people, we expect to come across large numbers of injured people in need of urgent medical care and rehabilitation.

"HI's emergency teams are ready to be deployed in support of our partners in order to more accurately assess the rehabilitation needs of victims. It will also be important to offer psychosocial support. Psychosocial trauma is common in these types of disasters,” she adds.

Humanity & Inclusion’s work in Indonesia

HI has worked in the country since 2005, regularly providing support to victims of natural disasters. Our team organizes disaster prevention workshops and workshops to improve community resilience. Learn more about our work in Indonesia.

Humanuty & Inclusion’s teams are preparing to set out for the northern Philippines, where they plan to assist people affected by Mangkhut. The super typhoon, which made landfall on Sept. 14, has already claimed its first victims.

On October 17, the city of Raqqa, in Syria, was recaptured by military forces. Five months of fighting have caused a high number of civilian casualties and displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

Last June, 11-year-old Omar had his left leg amputated after being injured in a bomb attack in Mosul. Today, he receives rehabilitation care from Handicap International at the Muharibeen Hospital in Iraq. 

At least 500 people, including 150 children, have died in the floods and landslides in Freetown, with hundreds more missing. The scale and trauma of the disaster that took place in the capital of Sierra Leone on August 14 is becoming clear.