The quake is very bad in Sumatra !

It is really bad out there.

Just a quick update on Indonesia. Wayne Ulrich returned one and a half hours ago from a seven hour aerial assessment of the remote parts of the earthquake affected region. An experienced campaigner who has seen many civil wars in Africa for MSF, the Tsunami for CARE described what he saw today in the remote hills and valleys of the greater Padang area as like seeing the effects of an Atomic bomb being dropped on a huge region. He reported houses, mosques, clinics and schools flattened, and on hilly spurs, villages wiped out by landslides. When they landed in villages people walked about dazed not knowing whether to laugh or cry. No medical help visible as being walked about injured or sick.

This will be the Red Cross challenge, getting to the most vulnerable, the most affected in the remote areas.

Wayme and PMI experts went in with Tuckey, Colin Tuck, the NZ helicopters pilot I spoke of on my last posting. He was brilliant and took Wayne into all the remote villages.

I am going in tomorrow with Chairman PMI (Indonesian red Cross) to meet with Wayne and his dedicated PMI colleagues to get their assessment. Also Tuckey will fly us to drop in medical help and food.

It is a big quake and I have that nervous feeling it is bigger than expected.

600 people dead to date but that toll will double ? But it is the living we strive for, we plan for and live for.

Just about to grab a few hours sleep before a 4 am start. Flight to Padang at 6 am.

S-l-e-e-p w-e n-e-e--d t-e-l-l a-l-l p-e-o-p-l-e.

Bob

Earthquake in Java, Indonesia

People are clearing the rubbish from collapsed houses in Ciamis after an earthquake hit West Java. Photo by: Kikin Kuswandi/Indonesian Red Cross



This afternoon I was driving between offices in Jakarta when I saw hundreds of people running out of a high rise building onto the street. A few seconds later I got a text message saying a large earthquake had struck near Bandung.



I got confirmation from the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) that it had caused some damage in and around Bandung.







People rushed out of buildings in Jakarta when a violent earthquake shook the capital.



At the meeting with Danish, French, Honk Kong and Spanish Red Cross we pieced information together from computer maps and messages we received from the field. A tsunami warning was issued but fortunately the wave generated was quite small and caused little damage.



Later I received a more detailed report from the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI)



Following 7.4 SR main shock after shock hit 3 times in Tasikmalaya and surrounding area, the tremor of main shock felt across Java island from Banten and even reach Bali. It was reported that 12 districts affected by the earthquake, namely: Bogor

district, Cianjur, Sukabumi, Municipality of Sukabumi, west Bandung, Bandung, Garut, Banjar, Ciamis, Tasikmalaya, Municipality of Tasikmalaya and Purwakarta, also in central Java tremor also gave impact in Cilacap District



Most of the area that is severely damaged is the coastal area in southern part of Indonesia. Communication line still disturb in Tasikmalaya in Banjar reported electricity cut off due to effect of the earthquake, 5.000 idps in Sindang Barang Cianjur. In Bandung 13 Village in pangalengan subdistict reported severely affected affected, 30 idps in Cimaung Bandung. For time being reported that 22 people died (Ciamis 2 people: Cianjur 12 people: Bandung 6 people; Garut 3 People) and 29 people injured, also reported that 810 houses damaged and 16 public facility building collapsed.



Immediate need for survivors are tarpaulins and tents







I arrived home six hours after the quake and Naila, my wife, was still somewhat shaken by the quake. "First I heard a loud noise then the building started swaying, the lights swung violently and I heard people screaming and talking loudly", she said.

She then told me how she joined a huge throng of people rushing down the stairway in this 30 floor building, and of people tripping, fainting, children and Mothers screaming. Old people struggled to get down the stairs and she said it was like a scene from a horror movie.



Then she showed me all the cracks in the apartment that were caused by the quake. A huge crack ran diagonally across the wall in the boys bedroom where they were sleeping peacefully. The kitchen, hallway and lounge walls all bore cracks as well.



Before i went to bed I got a detailed report from the Indonesian Red Cross and was delighted to read of their efforts in rescue, tending to the injured and providing food and shelter to the homeless. Wayne, our Disaster Coordinator has released large numbers of relief items from our warehouse in support of the PMI efforts.

Earthquake in Southern Sumatra

I have played a support role to the Indonesian Red Cross response to the earthquakes that struck Indonesia’s Sumatera Island since Wednesday, 12 September 2007.

The first occurred at 18.10 local time, measuring 8.4 on the Richter scale, with its epicentre located at 4.517° south and 101.382° east, 130 km south west of the province’s capital Bengkulu. Potential tsunami alert message was issued by BMG (Badan Meteorologi dan Geofisika/Meteorology and Geophysics Agency), but was revoked within the next two hours after the first quake.

Several aftershocks were reported with magnitude varying between 5.2 – 5.7 on the Richter Scale along the west coast of Bengkulu, with the largest one being a 7.8 Richter scale quake which occurred on Thursday, 13 September at 06.49 local time. The epicentre is located at 2.526° south and 100.964° east, 185 kilometres south east of Padang, West Sumatera, The BMG office also issued a tsunami watch but again lifted it within a few hours.

Late last night, Thursday 13 Sept., another earthquake occured just before midnight near Bengkulu. It measured 6.8 and a Tsunami warning was issued.

Indonesian Red Cross, PMI, assessment teams (which includes Fachri our DM manager) continued their assessment at first light this morning.

As an initial response, locally, PMI volunteers have been dispatched to assist with evacuation processes. In Padang, PMI have established an emergency health post in cooperation with ORARI (Organisasi Radio Amatir Indonesia/Indonesian Amateur Radio Organisation). They have also erected four emergency health posts nearby M. Yunus hospital in Bengkulu to assist with the handling of patients and mobilized three ambulances to assist with evacuation on the field.

The PMI Headquarters has started to send resources from Jakarta to the PMI Chapter in Bengkulu, such as 1,000 standard earthquake medical packages (consisting of, among others, anti septic solution, bandages/tourniquets, etc.) and 2,000 tarpaulins. Additionally, a number of 1,500 hygiene kits and 150 family kits have been be disbursed from the PMI’s warehouse in Padang, West Sumatera.

The national Red Cross coordination centre is next to my office in Jakarta and it is impressive to watch staff and volunteers collecting information, contacting remote communities and building up a picture of the damage and the needs. using the latest satellite technology, the are able to zoom in to the remotest island and locate even the smallest community and to guide assessment teams to those spots. They work round the clock with fresh batches of staff and volunteers coming in to relief exhausted workers when required. The Indonesian Red Cross at community level is responding quickly and meeting rescue, first and and medical needs, and providing tarpaulins.