Today, local Red Cross volunteers helped to distribute almost 25,000 kilograms of relief supplies to six of the most remote villages devastated by the earthquake. The distributed supplies include food, blankets, jerry cans, hygiene kits, plastic sheeting and cooking utensils. Some cried with relief. Others shook our hands. Others simply said thank you. They say they are humbled to know that strangers from around the world care about them.

It’s a story that will be repeated. Tomorrow the Red Cross volunteers will be back out again, distributing aid in 4 more villages.

Thursday October 8, 2009

Today a ship arrived, carrying equipment that the Red Cross will use to provide clean drinking water to thousands of earthquake victims. Shelter is also a priority. It’s believed that 200,000 houses were damaged during the quake. The Red Cross is in the process of providing 22,000 families with the tools and materials needed so they can repair their homes, or construct sturdier temporary shelters.

Thanks to the swift and generous response of donors from around the world, earthquake survivors in Padang are getting the supplies and support they need.

It’s going to be months before things return to normal here, particularly in the remote villages – but the Red Cross is committed to helping the people of Padang fully recover. We were here before the earthquake struck – responded immediately after – and will continue to help survivors rebuild their lives in the months ahead.

Wednesday October 7, 2009

Many people are aware Red Cross teams are working around the clock to get physical materials to earthquake victims in Padang, everything from tents and blankets to food and medicine. What you may not know it is the Red Cross is also helping people, particularly children, recover from the emotional trauma they have suffered.

Over the last few days, I’ve talked with parents who say their young ones haven’t spoken a word since the earthquake. Others have babies who now spend the night crying.

Today, a Red Cross team armed with puppets went to one village; their goal to get kids smiling and laughing again. It didn’t take long for the team to be surrounded by children of all ages. The puppets became oversized on their tiny little hands. And the village was soon filled with the laughter and squeals of high-pitched voices.

Mission accomplished.

I met up with a PMI search and rescue team today. We went to the site of a collapsed 3-storey building where crews were again working, for the fourth straight day, on finding a person buried beneath the rubble. Dozens of people gathered around, silently watching the very delicate work. The big claw of the heavy piece of equipment ripped away large pieces of debris, when rescue crews suddenly yelled “stop”. They had found her. A young woman estimated to be in her mid-20’s. Digging with their hands and small shovels, rescue crews, including volunteers from PMI, gently removed this earthquake victim and returned her to her family.

She was one of 28 people pulled from the wreckage at this site alone.

I ask the PMI volunteers why they want to be part of the search and rescue team. They tell me how happy they are when they pull someone alive from the debris. Even when a body is retrieved, they at least feel they are helping to provide some closure to the victim’s family.

The site itself is quiet now. The crowds that had gathered to watch are gone. The heavy equipment moved to another location. The rescue crews head back to their base to await their marching orders. There is little doubt they will again be pressed into action.

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.

Ring of Fire

I have been living for the past year in what is commonly known as the Ring of Fire. It’s an area of the world where the earth moves, a lot. I’ve been through almost two dozen earthquakes or tremors since arriving here in Banda Aceh last September.

It’s a little unnerving. Things literally start shaking; the penguin figurine on my desk, the blinds on the windows, the desk, the entire building. At home, earthquake alarms blare loudly. The louder the alarm, the more serious the tremor.

I was at work on Wednesday September 30th when the 7.6 magnitude earthquake rocked Padang in West Sumatra. It was the longest tremor I have felt, lasting about a minute or so. It was also the strongest. And our offices are located about 900 kilometers away from the epicenter. I can’t imagine what it would have been like for the people caught in the middle of it.

The Red Cross response was immediate. Local volunteers are helping to conduct search and resue, evacuate people to safer areas and provide first aid.

I am being deployed to Padang, with two other Canadian Red Cross workers to assist in the relief efforts.