CHILMARK-based disaster response charity Team Rubicon UK is “ready” to be deployed if needed to help communities affected by the devastating earthquakes in Indonesia.

The charity has sent a reconnaissance team out to assess the situation and they have been visiting camps in the area for those who have lost their homes.

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit the island of Lombok on Sunday, August 5 after a quake on July 29. There have been further quakes and aftershocks, with thousands left homeless and a rising death toll.

Sam Wheatley-Smith, Team Rubicon UK’s mission hub manager, said: “The Indonesian government has not requested international assistance but there is a huge amount of need particularly for water in the camps. We have some large water purifier kits which are ready to be sent out and we have trained specialists that are also ready and waiting to be sent as and when requested.

“The recce team is looking at the camps, doing needs assessments, working out how many people are in the camps, how many homes have been damaged and what the core needs of each of the camps are whether it is food, water, shelter.”

Discussions are ongoing to see if the charity can send its water specialists and kit to train local organisations. Team Rubicon UK has received a request for the specialist water kits but is waiting for official confirmation from the government on whether further volunteers can be sent out.

Sam said: “The situation is really fluid in Indonesia at the minute. They have just had two big earthquakes over the weekend so for them their priorities are changing daily.”

He said conditions are “really difficult” and there was a huge amount of housing and property damage. The number of people displaced from their homes was also rising and a big concern was the potential for disease to break out with contaminated water sources.

Sam added: “If people can’t get access to fresh, clean water the risk of a cholera outbreak, similar to what was seen in Haiti in 2010, is quite high.2010 in Haiti that outbreak killed more people than the earthquake. That is the next big risk we can see.”

There could be more seismic activity in coming months. Sam said: “We are doing everything we can to prepare any capability we can offer and prepare our teams. We have more people training to be specialists on this kit [water purifiers] so if and when the Indonesian government does request assistance we are in the best possible position to get a team out within 48 hours.”