Three severe earthquakes, one measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, battered the Indonesian island of Sumatra last week, killing more than 1,000 people and destroying more than 10,000 homes and 52 schools.

Handicap International, which has been working in Indonesia since the tsunami of December 2004, immediately mobilized its staff in the city of Padang, which was hit particularly hard, and 50 kilometers (31 miles) away in Pariaman to help people who were injured through physiotherapy so as to minimize the risk of developing permanent disabilities.

Johann Matti, coordinator of emergency projects for Handicap International in Indonesia, said on Monday that many victims of the earthquake remain isolated and unable to access health care.

“We arrived Friday evening, 48 hours after the first quake, we were among the first international NGOs on the spot,” Matti said, noting that the number of injuries seen in the five hospitals in Padang is “abnormally low” because many areas are inaccessible because of the devastation that resulted.

Consequently, Handicap International is going to focus its efforts on reaching people who have been injured and are in need of physical rehabilitation but cannot travel to or access health clinics, particularly people north of Padang in the town of Pariaman and in areas that remain inaccessible more than five days after the disaster struck.

“In the disaster area, we are the only organization to focus on the needs of people with disabilities,” Matti said, adding that Handicap International is setting up stations known as Disability and Vulnerable Focal Points (DVFPs) where emergency aid workers can identify and assist people with disabilities and ensure that vulnerable populations get access to help.

Handicap International is also distributing hygiene and first-aid kits as well as wheelchairs, crutches and walkers to the injured and persons with disabilities, and orthopedic equipment to hospitals and health facilities.