The City of London Corporation has given £40,000 to the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Indonesia Tsunami Appeal and is encouraging donations from City orgainsations and individuals.

The UK's DEC today launched the appeal after an earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale rocked the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, triggering a terrifying tsunami which reached 18 feet in height and left a trail of destruction in its wake.

Tens of thousands of homes have been destroyed and entire communities have been decimated. More than 1,300 people have died and hundreds of thousands of survivors are now in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

DEC member charities and their Indonesian partners are working closely with national authorities to provide food, clean water, first aid and shelter, while helping survivors to cope with the trauma of the last few days.

The donation comes from the City Corporation’s Disaster Relief Fund, which seeks to relieve human suffering, bringing its total donations in the last two years to £140,000.

Last year the organisation gave £25,000 towards the We Love Manchester Appeal following the devastating terror attack in the city, and £75,000 in total to emergency appeals in Burma, South Asia and for those affected by Hurricane Irma.

Jeremy Mayhew, Chairman of City of London Corporation’s Finance Committee, said:

“Last week’s Tsunami is devasting for Indonesia, tearing apart communities and destroying livelihoods in an instant.

“The DEC urgently needs all the funds it can get in order to help as many people as possible.

“There is a desperate need for the basic life essentials – food, clean water, medical care and shelter.

“We want to do whatever we can to help and we are encouraging others to come together and support this appeals as best they can.”

The City of London Corporation gives millions of pounds to charities each year in a bid to tackle disadvantage and create a more fair, inclusive and sustainable society.

Its charitable funder, City Bridge Trust, is London’s biggest independent grant giver, making grants of £20 million a year to combat deprivation and inequalities. The Trust has awarded around 7,900 grants totalling over £380 million since it first began in 1995. It helps achieve the City Corporation’s aim of changing the lives of hundreds of thousands of Londoners.

ENDS

Media enquires:

Kristina Drake| Media Officer, Public Services

City of London Corporation

Kristina.Drake@cityoflondon.gov.uk

M: 07710860884

D: 020 7332 1125

Notes to editors

About the City of London Corporation:

The City of London Corporation is the governing body of the Square Mile dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London within a globally-successful UK.

www.cityoflondon.gov.uk