On the ground in Padang
It was my first full day in Padang, a city of about 900,000 hit hard by two massive earthquakes last week. I’ve set up base at the local office of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI). Its a hub of activity.
Volunteers have been deployed from Jakarta to lend a hand. They’re handling the logistics of the relief effort, supporting medical aid, and trying desperately to reunite families.
A lot of these volunteers have been trained on various aspects of disaster risk reduction. They are the focal points of their communities, who know best what to do when a disaster strikes. These are the people who help evacuate others, who know the best route to take, and then come back to help rescue those who could not get out.
It’s this kind of training the Canadian Red Cross has been implementing in 43 villages in Aceh and Nias over the past five years. Although it’s regrettable that their new skills have to be used, it’s also rewarding to see that the training works.
Volunteers have been deployed from Jakarta to lend a hand. They’re handling the logistics of the relief effort, supporting medical aid, and trying desperately to reunite families.
A lot of these volunteers have been trained on various aspects of disaster risk reduction. They are the focal points of their communities, who know best what to do when a disaster strikes. These are the people who help evacuate others, who know the best route to take, and then come back to help rescue those who could not get out.
It’s this kind of training the Canadian Red Cross has been implementing in 43 villages in Aceh and Nias over the past five years. Although it’s regrettable that their new skills have to be used, it’s also rewarding to see that the training works.
posted by KB at 10:36 AM
1 Comments:
This is the kind of result that makes it all worthwhile. Keep up the good work.
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