Background: At approximately 7:59 in the morning on December 26, 2004, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake in the Indian Ocean triggered a devastating tsunami, killing more than 200,000 people in 14 countries, with an estimated 170,000 Indonesians in Aceh Province.

Response: In the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the U.S. government was one of the largest contributors to emergency response and reconstruction efforts in Indonesia’s Aceh Province. USAID, along with other US government agencies, including the Departments of Defense and Agriculture, provided over $400 million in emergency aid to Indonesia.

USAID assisted over 580,000 people impacted by the earthquake and tsunami through the delivery of emergency food, hygiene kits, medical aid, and psycho-social assistance. USAID also implemented program that provided cash-for work to clean up and clear damaged infrastructure.

Today, USAID implements projects in the areas of strengthening disaster risk reduction capacity, democratic governance, essential human services, global development, and science, technology and innovation. These are among the many U.S. Government programs under the U.S.-Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership, a 2010 agreement to elevate and deepen ties between the two nations.

Resources

Fact Sheet: Emergency Response and Reconstruction in Aceh Province (2004-2009)

Fact Sheet: Indonesia: Disaster Response and Risk Reduction