In May 2006, the exploratory search for natural gas deposits in the Sidoarjo area of Indonesia by Indonesian corporation PT Lapindo Brantas led to a devastating mud volcano that displaced thousands of people and ruined farmland, roads and other infrastructure. Neither the government nor the corporation whose drilling was probably responsible for the mud volcano were prepared to address the needs of those who had lost their homes, their villages and their livelihoods.

This paper describes how the corporation denied that its drilling had caused the mud volcano, and instead sought to limit any compensation paid, curb the organization of affected communities and discourage the involvement of international agencies. It also profiles the work of a small Indonesian NGO, Uplink Porong, in supporting the many affected households and different village organizations to work together, to develop and implement their own preferred responses and to lobby for support for these. It highlights the importance of support for this kind of grassroots organizing and network building among those affected by disasters as an important foundation for more appropriate, locally rooted post-disaster responses. The authors suggest that the most important response from external donors would have been to provide on-the-ground long-term support for those affected in order to build their capacities to develop and implement their own solutions.