LATEST NEWS + UPDATES
from ISLAND-AID in West Sumatra
by Island Aid on Saturday, March 31
@ 3:52 PM
March 28th marked the 2nd anniversary of the mega quake that devastated Nias and Dr Fasa just called with some amazing news. It seems that a Catholic charity group learned about the plight of Siraha village from our web-blog story "Saved by the Windship" (April 2006)
............."The March 28 quake dropped a 150m wide section of the village (Dusun Siraha) straight down at least 50m. Most of the trees are still standing but they are all skewed at crazy angles. A few houses lie almost intact but 7 were swallowed by the earth and there is no sign of them.
Miraculously only 2 people died and they described their descent as slow enough for them to run to hang onto trees as the earth buckled and fractured all around. The visual impact is difficult to capture with a camera. The rift subsidence extends several kilometers to the east and then curves past the village to the west.
Sheer walls of gravel and clay overlook the jumbled landscape that has dropped vertically without any sign of a land slide or horizontal displacement. An unforgettable sight and one this community must now live with and reconcile with their future".........
The story of our helicopter medivac of critically ill Hulu Hukkubah and the extraordinary damage suffered by this small community inspired Charitas to raise funds for a long term project that involves re-building all the houses destroyed in the quake, a new 9km road & 2 huge bridges.
To grasp the enormity of this task is just not possible unless you have trekked up through the mountains and ravines to reach this mountain top community. We will monitor and report on progress. The Caritas head quarters have been established next to Dr Fasa's clinic in Gomo township and he will send us images regularly.
............."The March 28 quake dropped a 150m wide section of the village (Dusun Siraha) straight down at least 50m. Most of the trees are still standing but they are all skewed at crazy angles. A few houses lie almost intact but 7 were swallowed by the earth and there is no sign of them.
Miraculously only 2 people died and they described their descent as slow enough for them to run to hang onto trees as the earth buckled and fractured all around. The visual impact is difficult to capture with a camera. The rift subsidence extends several kilometers to the east and then curves past the village to the west.
Sheer walls of gravel and clay overlook the jumbled landscape that has dropped vertically without any sign of a land slide or horizontal displacement. An unforgettable sight and one this community must now live with and reconcile with their future".........
The story of our helicopter medivac of critically ill Hulu Hukkubah and the extraordinary damage suffered by this small community inspired Charitas to raise funds for a long term project that involves re-building all the houses destroyed in the quake, a new 9km road & 2 huge bridges.
To grasp the enormity of this task is just not possible unless you have trekked up through the mountains and ravines to reach this mountain top community. We will monitor and report on progress. The Caritas head quarters have been established next to Dr Fasa's clinic in Gomo township and he will send us images regularly.
Labels: Gomo, Mercy, Nias, Siraha, Windship
by Island Aid on Tuesday, March 20
@ 5:41 PM
Last years eruption of Talang resulted inthe evacuation of over 25,000 villagers
Tuesday the 20th of March:
An significant explosive eruption sent ash from 800 to 1,000m above the summit of Mount Talang (2,580m) early this morning . Activity has been building since the March 6th earthquakes along the Sumatran fault. Merapi Volcano 50m north of Talang is also showing signs of increased activity.
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by Island Aid @ 3:34 PM
A team of up to 12 Island Aid volunteers spent the past week assisting Sumatran quake victims in the hardest hit areas. In Gunung Rajo and Aie Angek over 90% of homes are damaged beyond repair. Our volunteers distributed food and water, tools and tarps to 3 villages and prepared detailed reports.
Our reports have been forwared to IOM and they have assured us that blankets and tarps will be sent to the high altitude villages first. Most residents are living outside under open sided tarps and the area has been experiencing strong winds and heavy rain.
Almost every school in the area has been destroyed and most rice milling plants as well.
Temperatures at 1,500m can drop to below 12 deg and families are reporting that children are suffering from respiritory problems and dysentry. Water suppies and food staples are adequate but the cost of reconstruction is daunting for the areas farming community.
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by Island Aid on Tuesday, March 6
@ 5:27 PM
Region: WEST SUMATRA, INDONESIA
Geographic coordinates: 0.536S, 100.498E
Magnitude: 6.3 Mw
Depth: 30 km
Universal Time (UTC): 6 Mar 2007 03:49:41
Time near the Epicenter: 6 Mar 2007 10:49:41
Local time in your area: 6 Mar 2007 03:49:41
Location with respect to nearby cities:
49 km (30 miles) NNE (20 degrees) of Padang, Sumatra, Indonesia
159 km (99 miles) SW (222 degrees) of Pekanbaru, Sumatra, Indonesia
312 km (194 miles) SE (143 degrees) of Sibolga, Sumatra, Indonesia
424 km (264 miles) WSW (242 degrees) of SINGAPORE
Padang city was largely spared serious damage but the mountain towns of Padang Panjang, Batusangkar and Solok have been seriously hit with many buildings reported to have been totally destroyed.
Aftershocks continue and the death toll is over 58 according to latest reports from the field. Island Aid volunteer Ali Nurdin is in the worst hit area and reporting back to Island Aid headquarters. All our staff have reported in safe. No tsunami was generated and the Mentawai islands appear to be undamaged.
We will update as more news comes in from the field.
Your donations will assist us to send field teams into the worst hit areas.
Please visit our 'donations' page for options.
Offers for help from past partners and others are coming in by the hour. We are not yet sure of the requirements in the field but welcome your registration via e-mail or our volunteer page.
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