The European Union is coming to the assistance of the many victims of the deadly earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia.
On Sunday 30 September, the European Commission announced that €1.5 million in emergency humanitarian aid had been released immediately, as initial assistance.
The assistance will be channelled swiftly to the people most affected. "Our funding will assist the most vulnerable and help provide essential supplies such as food, shelter, water and sanitation and medical supplies (...) Our thoughts are with all the victims", European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides stated, as quoted in a press release.
The European Commission has sent a humanitarian expert to the area to help coordinate the EU's relief efforts, and it has activated the EU's emergency Copernicus satellite mapping service.
The Commission's 24/7 Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) is closely monitoring developments. The provisional balance of this large-scale disaster is very heavy, in terms both of loss of life (over 850 people) and of destruction. On Saturday, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and Hahn jointly expressed their condolences and solidarity, giving assurances that "the European Union stands by the people and authorities of Indonesia at this difficult time". (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)