WESTPORT, Conn. (Oct. 1, 2009) — Save the Children is mobilizing staff and resources to provide humanitarian assistance, if needed, to children and families in Western Sumatra, Indonesia, where several 7.6-magnitude earthquakes struck off the coast of Padang.

According to early reports, the quakes destroyed homes and buildings, cut lines of communications and electricity, and damaged bridges in and around Padang, home to 900,000 people.

"Children and their families have been forced from their homes and into an extremely stressful and dangerous environment," said Ned Olney, Save the Children's vice president for global humanitarian relief. "We stand ready to help them through the coming days and assist in their recovery."

Save the Children is currently providing relief to survivors of a 7-magnitude earthquake that struck Western Java, Indonesia, last month. The agency's education, health and livelihoods programs for children and families living in areas affected by the 2004 tsunami continue.

Save the Children has been working in Indonesia for more than three decades.

Save the Children is the leading independent organization that creates lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world. Save the Children USA is a member of the International Save the Children Alliance, a global network of 29 independent Save the Children organizations working to ensure the well-being and protection of children in more than 120 countries. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.