Silver Spring, Maryland--An assessment team from the Adventist Development
and Relief Agency is on the ground in Indonesia and evaluating survivors'
needs after a magnitude 8.4 earthquake struck off the coast of southwestern
Sumatra, near the city of Bengkulu, at 6:10 p.m. local time Wednesday
evening.

Wednesday's massive temblor prompted a tsunami alert that sent coastal
residents scrambling for higher ground. The quake was followed Thursday by
several strong earthquakes off western Sumatra, registering between
magnitude 6.2 and 7.8 and resulting in tsunami warnings that were later
cancelled. The tremors were felt as far away as Singapore, Thailand, and
Malaysia.

Initial reports indicate the earthquakes have toppled hundreds of buildings
in the cities of Bengkulu and Padang, killed at least 12 people, and left
dozens more injured throughout the earthquake-affected regions.

ADRA will continue to assess the situation and meet the changing needs of
survivors in the aftermath of the earthquakes.

Updates will be released as response efforts expand in the coming days and
weeks.

To donate to ADRA's earthquake response efforts in Indonesia, please contact
ADRA at 1.800.424.ADRA (2372) or donate online to ADRA's Emergency Response
fund at www.adra.org.

ADRA is present in 125 countries, providing community development and
emergency management without regard to political or religious association,
age, gender, or ethnicity.

Additional information about ADRA can be found at www.adra.org.