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, December 19
@ 6:12 AM
The girls are finally reunited with their families in Gomo and Dr Fasa says they everyone is very excited by the dramatic improvement in their freedom of movement and general enthusiasm for life.
Dr Fasa is arranging for both girls to attend a special boarding school in Medan to help them catch up with the education they have missed as a result of their burns and treatment. We are launching a new appeal on fundable to pay their final medical bill and to help with living and travel expenses.
Heart felt thanks from the girls and their families to all the donors and volunteers who have changed their lives. Zach, Chris and Lisa in particular have made extraordinary efforts and everyone at Island Aid would like to thank you and your families and friends for their kindness and hard work. The girls will now have a Christmas to remember with their family and friends.
Enawati's scars are still terrible but she can move her head and arms freely. To remind you of how bad her situation was please visit http://www.gomogirlsfund.com/ and take a look a the video of her burns before the operation.Labels: burn girls, Gomo, notseennotheard, skin grafts
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by Island Aid @ 5:24 AM
After weeks of waiting for an opportunity to travel from Gomo to Padang, Dr Fasa finally made it yesterday morning. He is now the proud owner of a MacBook laptop and software donated by Lisa Friesen and friends via Island Aid. Dr Fasa spend all day at Island Aid HQ learning how to operate the computer and managed to download all his images and send them by e-mail on his first try. "This is so easy.... I always had so much trouble to send images to people... thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Special thanks to Lisa and family for raising the funds for the computer. It has taken a while to get it safely into Dr Fasa's hands but he insisted on picking it up in person to avoid any risk that it might not make it my mail or package delivery to his remote village. UNDP have set up a hot spot at the local village administration office and Dr Fasa is looking forward to contacting all his donors and friends to keep them updated on progress in his area.
Labels: Earthquake, Gomo, Lisa Friesen, Nias, reconstruction
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