Operational overview
| Estimated no. people reached by the International Federation through 31 March 2008 |
3,173,367 |
| Total expenditure through 31 March 2008 |
CHF 2.076 billion |
On 26 December 2004, an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale struck the area off the western coast of northern Sumatra, triggering massive tidal waves, or tsunamis, that inundated coastal areas in countries all around the Indian Ocean rim - from Indonesia to Somalia. At least 226,000 people are presumed to have died in the disaster.
From around the world, more than 100 Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies raised funds to assist those whose lives were devastated by nature's random fury. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies recently updated its plan of action which will direct ongoing relief and recovery operations for 2005-2010.
The collective amount spent by the Federation (Secretariat and its members) for the first 42 months of the operation to provide humanitarian assistance in tsunami-affected countries exceeds CHF 2.076 billion .
From an overall perspective, the past six months, from October 2007 to 31 March 2008, have seen tsunami recovery continue at an impressive pace. On the construction front, about 80 per cent of the over 50,000 houses being built by the Red Cross Red Crescent are now either finished or are under construction, and almost 400 other community structures, such as hospitals, clinics and schools have been built or rehabilitated.
More than 3.1 million people have now received assistance from the Red Cross Red Crescent. Hundreds of thousands of people now have improved access to water and sanitation and tens of thousands have received first aid and psychosocial support training. Thousands more have had lost assets replaced or enhanced, or received grants to help them restart businesses or fund new initiatives.
| Health and care |
| Hospitals and clinics |
271 completed/ or under construction of 347 planned |
| No. people with access to an improved water source |
488,569 |
| No. people with improved waste management facilities or improved latrines |
236,857 |
| Expenditure in health and care through 31 March 2008 |
CHF 319 million |
| Shelter and community construction |
| Transitional shelters |
all 21,112 completed and handover |
| Permanent houses (52,308 planned) |
32,828 completed, 15,435 under construction and another 4,045 planned |
| Schools (131 planned) |
74 completed, 44 under construction, and another 14 planned |
| Expenditure in shelter and community construction through 31 March 2008 |
CHF 815 million |
| Disaster management and risk reduction |
| Expenditure in disaster management through 31 March 2008 |
CHF 108 million |
| Livelihoods |
| No. households reached by asset replacement or enhancement |
36,350 |
| No. households that have received livelihood support grants |
47,186 |
| Expenditure in livelihoods through 31 March 2008 |
CHF 115 million |
More information: Tsunami operation semi-annual progress report |