Aftermath and Response
International relief teams arrived in the region several days after the earthquake. Relief efforts were impeded by fallen telephone poles, which blocked the supplies. The main problem found in the affected areas was a lack of water supply and electricity, these facilities having been cut off by oscillation. Pope John Paul II expressed his "sincere sympathy" for those families stricken by the earthquake. He called for a rapid international response to the quake, and said he would keep its victims in his prayers. A Taiwanese rescue team was sent to help victims of the tremor, the first from the country to take part in rescue efforts aside from Asia. The United States donated US$ 25,000 instantly to relief organizations, Japan offering a grant of US$ 140,000 and Australia US$ 143,000 in addition to a two-person team of emergency relief examiners.
Read more about this topic: 2000 Sumatra Earthquake
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