Nearly two weeks following the earthquake that struck western Sumatra the relief effort shifts from search and rescue to aid and reconstruction. Padang, Indonesia, 13/10/2009.
In afternoon of the 30 September the west coast of Sumatra was shook by an earthquake reaching 7.1 on the Richter scale. The force of the quake turned live upside down and concrete buildings into twisted carcasses. The D’Jamil hospital in Padang was one of the important structures, crammed with patients and staff, which collapsed. Amidst the dust a clock lays on the ground, its time frozen in record.
Rescue teams from around the world rushed to the urban centre of Padang in response. However, with the intense heat after four days no more survivors were being found. In the Ambacang hotel heavy machinery dug through the rubble, pausing whenever a body was discovered to be retrieved by search and rescue teams now acting as mortitioners.
Within a week the UN co-ordinate operation was phasing from search and rescue to relief and reconstruction. Many small Indonesian organizations were the first to respond, travelling to easily accessible communities. In a small rural village a team of volunteer doctors from Jakarta hand out milk and cookies whilst administering health checks with the assistance of local co-ordinators. The village was lightly hit but is frequently visited by young volunteer doctors from the big city.
By far the hardest hit areas, however, were rural communities in the Padang Pariaman district north of the urban centre. These communities received little aid the first week. Helicopters were used to reach the more remote villages as attention turned to cut off rural populations. Assets of the Indonesian army aviation gears up at Tabing air base on the outskirts of Padang for the first aid drops to the hardest hit villages up north.
Cpt. Prito banks his Huey whilst Cpt. Deni scans for the LZ (Landing Zone) outside the village of Suneai Limau, some 20km north of Padang. The 11th Assault Chopper Squadron fly the infamous UH-1D on around six sorties per day delivering aid and conducting reconnaissance.
They came in low and fast as if the landing zone was ‘hot’, flaring before the skids slid on the ground. The crew chief, Sgt. Siburian unloads the aid with the assistance of local soldiers and French aid workers in a matter of seconds before the doors are slammed shut and the Huey punches back into the air.
The U.S.S. Denver, detached from 7th Fleet out of Yokosuka, floating off the coast of Sumatra. The ship, an amphibious transport dock, carries three CH-53 Sea Stallions as well as landing craft and Marines. By the 9th of October the US Navy had received approval to commence aid drops to villages struck by landslides caused by the earthquake. Deck crews prepare the heavy lift helicopters for their first sorties.
The US relief effort saw the combination of Navy and Marine personnel, Air Force personnel from Guam, and US Army Civil Affairs and Special Forces teams already stationed in Indonesia as well as State Department and USAID representatives. This camouflage pattern fashion parade sits strapped in the belly of a CH-53 with several hundred pounds of aid heading for villages swallowed by landslides in Pariaman.
The heavy bird sunk into the soft mud of what was once a farmer’s field as Marines unloaded bags of rice, oil and soy sauce as well as medical supplies. Most of the aid was provided by international organizations, whilst water came from the Denver's on ship desalination plants. The air bridge provided by US air assets is a vital link to aid and relief for numerous villagers cut off by landslides. Likewise such soft power diplomacy is a critical part of America’s South East Asia policy.
There are some things, however, no amount of aid can replace. Many houses or even whole villages were swallowed up by waves of mud from the landslides. Next to a notice board holding family photos of the missing and the dead, this woman sat in grief, struggling to compose herself.
With so much loss many turn to their faith. The area surrounding Padang is described as a traditionally conservative Muslim area. These villagers, living in tents after their houses were destroyed, return to their damaged mosque for afternoon prayer to find solace and comfort. Their sandals lay strewn on the rubble of what once was the Mecca facing wall.
Relief is getting through, but the reconstruction will take a lot longer while many lives remain shattered and the world attention is already starting to turn away. Mr. Nurjanis stands amidst the ruins of his house in Pariaman. With no home insurance and no savings for him the future is uncertain.
