Shelter Cluster Review 2009 West Sumatra Earthquake

On 30 September 2009 and 1 October 2009 two major earthquakes (EQ) hit an area off the coast of West Sumatra causing 1,195 deaths and injuring 1,798. The EQs damaged public and agricultural assets and devastated housing in both rural and urban areas. Damage assessments identified approximately 180,000 houses as being severely or moderately damaged. Shelter was overall the dominant sector in the ensuing response with Transitional shelters (TShelters) as the single largest component. By early 2010 most relief distributions were complete. The Shelter Cluster (SC) report from March 2010 estimated that 75% of the shelter need had been covered with focus on the rural areas. This included government’s permanent housing for approximately 8,000 houses, agencies transitional or temporary shelter assistance for 52,000 houses, and self-recovery process for around 72,000 houses. The IFRC deployed three consecutive rotations of Shelter Cluster Coordination Teams for a total of seven months. The attendance at the SC meetings was exceptionally high throughout starting with 100+ agencies in the first meeting and regular subsequent attendance of around 25-35 agencies during the first months of emergency response.