Rescuers rushed back into the rubble Tuesday after a woman's cries for help were reported coming from a collapsed hotel six days after Indonesia's devastating earthquake — but the search was in vain.
Australian experts used specialized voice detection equipment to scour the remnants of the Ambacang hotel in four different places after a worker said he heard a woman's voice. They found no signs of life, said team leader John Cowcutt, and demolition of the building's remnants resumed.
The episode underscored the agony of the families of thousands of people who are missing after last Wednesday's 7.6-magnitude quake collapsed buildings in Padang city and sent landslides crashing down onto villages in the surrounding hills in West Sumatra province.
The official death toll rose Tuesday to 704 and could reach into the thousands, officials said.
"I've been coming here every day for any kind of news," said Firmansyah Blis as he watched backhoes dig chunks of concrete from the wreckage of the hotel, where his wife was last seen. "I doubt she is alive. I think the search crews tried hard to find her. I just want them to find her body."
Betty Diraja, 39, also waited outside the hotel Tuesday in the hope of receiving news about Aswad, her husband and father to their three children.
"It was too early to leave his beloved kids. They still need his guidance as a father," said Diraja, sobbing quietly.
Hotel worker Rizal said he heard a woman's faint cries coming from within the hotel's remnants on Tuesday, even over the roar heavy machines.
"When I walked among the rubble, I heard a weak voice screaming 'Help, help, help!' " said Rizki, who like many Indonesians uses just one name. "I am confident it was from a woman who survived. Her voice was getting weaker and fading away."
Officials called in search crews, though they conceded the chances of finding more survivors is extremely remote.
"We stopped for a moment so that rescuers could check if there really was a voice," said Lt. Col. Haris, an army officer helping in the recovery operation, wondering aloud, "How long can someone survive without food or water?"
Demolition crews had begun knocking down damaged structures around Padang and hauling off debris in trucks. Around six bodies were removed and loaded into waiting ambulances to be taken to hospital morgues.
The broader search for survivors was halted Monday — five days after the 7.6-magnitude quake struck off the coast. Aid workers from at least 20 countries were focused on caring for the hundreds of thousands left homeless.
Six helicopters shuttled instant noodles, blankets, milk and other aid to the isolated hillside villages of the Padang Pariaman district, where landslides buried more than 600 people, said Ade Edward, head of operations control at West Sumatra's Center for Disaster Management.
"We have stopped looking for living survivors and are maximizing the use of heavy equipment," he said. "We hope to clear the rubble in two weeks so we can start reconstruction."
Signs of normal life have returned in some places in the city. Hundreds of children went back to classes Monday in tents supplied by UNICEF. Market stalls were full of food and bustling with residents stocking up on vegetables, fruit and fish.
But the city of 900,000 still resembled a sprawling demolition site with houses, mosques, schools, a mall and hotels brought down.
Emergency workers faced an uphill battle trying to reach remote communities in the hills of Pariaman where whole villages were wiped out by landslides. The force of the quake gouged out mountainsides and dumped tons of mud, boulders and trees, burying hundreds of people alive.
Heavy rain since Sunday and thick wet mud also made it difficult for aid workers to reach the stricken areas, said Gagah Prakoso, a spokesman for the Indonesian Search and Rescue Agency.
The Meteorological and Geophysics Agency warned the region could see strong winds and storms for the next two days.
It was unclear precisely how many people are without shelter, but more than 88,000 houses were flattened, U.N. and Indonesian agencies said, and another 100,000 public buildings damaged.
Government minister Aburizal Bakrie said $600 million was needed to repair infrastructure.
Associated Press writers Sarah Sayekti and Anthony Deutsch in Jakarta contributed to this report.
Showing posts with label padang. Show all posts
Showing posts with label padang. Show all posts
Friday, October 16, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Emergency Disaster Relief Efforts
OBI launches emergency disaster relief efforts in Padang, Indonesia
Disaster relief specialist Operation Blessing International (OBI) is responding to a 7.6 magnitude earthquake here which has left over 1,100 dead and many thousands more seriously injured.
OBI, which has a major presence in the country through its regional headquarters in Jakarta, has four medical teams on the ground in the hard hit city of Padang, with 25 doctors and nurses providing emergency medical relief. OBI loaded an Indonesian Navy vessel in Jakarta yesterday with two ambulances, electrical generators drums of fuel and thousands of emergency kits. The ship will arrive in Padang on Saturday. In addition, four OBI trucks loaded with relief supplies arrived in Padang today, with additional non-medical OBI team members distributing shelter kits and other critical relief supplies.
OBI is also setting up two logistics bases, one in Pekanbaru and the other in Jakarta.
OBI has joined with longtime partner, the airborne charity Mission Aviation Fellowship, who is flying in the medical teams and supplies. Additionally, OBI has teamed up with another longtime partner, the German charity Humedica, who is sending a medical team that will operate from OBI's base in Padang.
Says Mark McClendon, Operation Blessing International's director on the ground, "The situation here is very urgent, with many areas still completely unreachable and no way to help the victims there. The devastation is much worse than what the media has reported so far."
OBI has worked in Indonesia since opening the Jakarta regional headquarters in 1998, helping over 850,000 people to date. The charity was a first responder to the 2004 tsunami, where it operated and built numerous medical clinics, treated over 180,000 patients and gave away over $27 million dollars worth of medicine. OBI also distributed over 136,000 care packages and more than 52 tons of food. Since the tsunami, OBI Indonesia has built or refurbished hundreds of boats, with each boat supporting the economic needs of three families. OBI affiliates have also provided over 306 boats and have created 208 other livelihood projects including brick factories in Rigah and Lhok Kruet, where over 100,000 bricks were produced and used to build new homes.
ABOUT OPERATION BLESSING INTERNATIONAL:
Operation Blessing International (OBI) is one of the largest charities in America, providing strategic disaster relief, medical aid, hunger relief, clean water and community development in 22 countries around the world on a daily basis. In 2009, OBI was awarded Charity Navigator's coveted 4 star rating for sound fiscal management for the fifth year in a row, a feat that only 4% of rated charities have ever achieved. Forbes, which currently ranks OBI as one of "America's 200 Largest Charities" as well as one of "America's Most Efficient Charities," awarded OBI a perfect 100% rating in fundraising efficiency and 99% efficiency in charitable commitment. Additionally, the Chronicle of Philanthropy recently ranked OBI as the 58th largest non-governmental organization and 9th largest international charity.
In 2008, OBI responded to 33 disasters in 16 foreign countries as well as 7 major domestic disasters. Most recently, OBI mobilized teams and funded major relief and recovery efforts in Italy, Myanmar, the Sichuan Province of China, Rift Valley in Kenya, Bangladesh, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, the Darfur region of Sudan, Pakistan, Somalia, India, Indonesia, Mozambique and the Philippines. OBI has also made headlines as a first responder to U.S. hurricanes, floods and tornadoes as well as the tsunami disaster in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. In addition to directing major disaster relief efforts, OBI has often filled the role of logistical arm to organizations including the International Red Cross, the Salvation Army, UNICEF and the United Nations World Food Program.
Founded in 1978, Operation Blessing International has touched the lives of more than 209.3 million people in more than 105 countries and 50 states, providing goods and services valued at over $1.7 billion to date.
Disaster relief specialist Operation Blessing International (OBI) is responding to a 7.6 magnitude earthquake here which has left over 1,100 dead and many thousands more seriously injured.
OBI, which has a major presence in the country through its regional headquarters in Jakarta, has four medical teams on the ground in the hard hit city of Padang, with 25 doctors and nurses providing emergency medical relief. OBI loaded an Indonesian Navy vessel in Jakarta yesterday with two ambulances, electrical generators drums of fuel and thousands of emergency kits. The ship will arrive in Padang on Saturday. In addition, four OBI trucks loaded with relief supplies arrived in Padang today, with additional non-medical OBI team members distributing shelter kits and other critical relief supplies.
OBI is also setting up two logistics bases, one in Pekanbaru and the other in Jakarta.
OBI has joined with longtime partner, the airborne charity Mission Aviation Fellowship, who is flying in the medical teams and supplies. Additionally, OBI has teamed up with another longtime partner, the German charity Humedica, who is sending a medical team that will operate from OBI's base in Padang.
Says Mark McClendon, Operation Blessing International's director on the ground, "The situation here is very urgent, with many areas still completely unreachable and no way to help the victims there. The devastation is much worse than what the media has reported so far."
OBI has worked in Indonesia since opening the Jakarta regional headquarters in 1998, helping over 850,000 people to date. The charity was a first responder to the 2004 tsunami, where it operated and built numerous medical clinics, treated over 180,000 patients and gave away over $27 million dollars worth of medicine. OBI also distributed over 136,000 care packages and more than 52 tons of food. Since the tsunami, OBI Indonesia has built or refurbished hundreds of boats, with each boat supporting the economic needs of three families. OBI affiliates have also provided over 306 boats and have created 208 other livelihood projects including brick factories in Rigah and Lhok Kruet, where over 100,000 bricks were produced and used to build new homes.
ABOUT OPERATION BLESSING INTERNATIONAL:
Operation Blessing International (OBI) is one of the largest charities in America, providing strategic disaster relief, medical aid, hunger relief, clean water and community development in 22 countries around the world on a daily basis. In 2009, OBI was awarded Charity Navigator's coveted 4 star rating for sound fiscal management for the fifth year in a row, a feat that only 4% of rated charities have ever achieved. Forbes, which currently ranks OBI as one of "America's 200 Largest Charities" as well as one of "America's Most Efficient Charities," awarded OBI a perfect 100% rating in fundraising efficiency and 99% efficiency in charitable commitment. Additionally, the Chronicle of Philanthropy recently ranked OBI as the 58th largest non-governmental organization and 9th largest international charity.
In 2008, OBI responded to 33 disasters in 16 foreign countries as well as 7 major domestic disasters. Most recently, OBI mobilized teams and funded major relief and recovery efforts in Italy, Myanmar, the Sichuan Province of China, Rift Valley in Kenya, Bangladesh, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, the Darfur region of Sudan, Pakistan, Somalia, India, Indonesia, Mozambique and the Philippines. OBI has also made headlines as a first responder to U.S. hurricanes, floods and tornadoes as well as the tsunami disaster in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. In addition to directing major disaster relief efforts, OBI has often filled the role of logistical arm to organizations including the International Red Cross, the Salvation Army, UNICEF and the United Nations World Food Program.
Founded in 1978, Operation Blessing International has touched the lives of more than 209.3 million people in more than 105 countries and 50 states, providing goods and services valued at over $1.7 billion to date.
Padang in recovery mode
Schools and markets have begun to reopen in Padang after last week's devastating earthquake in West Sumatra.
Indonesia's health ministry still estimates that thousands of people remain buried, while the official national total remains at 608 confirmed dead and 343 people missing.
Those official national disaster relief agency figures rely on an actual count of body bags and actual inquiries made after missing people.
The problem in areas beyond Padang, such as Pariaman, is that many communities have been almost entirely wiped out by landslides and so few people are left to actually look for the missing.
Taking this into account the health ministry estimates that 3,000 people are missing and 20,000 buildings have collapsed.
World Vision chief Tim Costello has praised Indonesia's efforts in tackling the aftermath of last Wednesday's earthquake.
The debris of collapsed buildings is still strewn around Padang and many structures are now unstable, but Mr Costello says the effectiveness of the emergency response has much improved since 2004's Aceh's tsunami.
He says his organisation will focus its relief efforts beyond Padang city, close to the quake's epicentre where the damage is worse.
Official Indonesia disaster relief figures suggest regional areas around Padang and Pariaman have been the worst affected with 285 confirmed dead and an equal number missing.
Only four people remain missing in Padang City where 149 people are confirmed to have died.
Relief efforts
The Federal Government says it is looking at what it can do to help restore water supplies to Padang.
The Government says it has already committed about $3 million to the recovery effort and Federal Parliamentary Secretary for International Assistance, Bob McMullan, says that figure may increase.
"The Indonesian Government has said that they can get the electricity supply back in Padang within the week, but it might take a month to get proper water supply back up and operating because of the extent of the damage, so we need to do something about water," he said.
The Australian Defence Force has also flown in a second wave of medical officers to Padang to assist after last week's devastating earthquake.
A team of 22 officers from Sydney's first help support unit arrived last night, bringing with them medical equipment and two military vehicles.
They will spend today assessing possible locations for field hospitals in the outlying areas of Padang.
International teams including more than 30 workers from Queensland have also been assisting in the search and rescue effort.
But there is still a lot of wreckage to get through to find people.
Heavy rain last night could slow down that work and has sparked more fears of landslides and disease.
Indonesia's health ministry still estimates that thousands of people remain buried, while the official national total remains at 608 confirmed dead and 343 people missing.
Those official national disaster relief agency figures rely on an actual count of body bags and actual inquiries made after missing people.
The problem in areas beyond Padang, such as Pariaman, is that many communities have been almost entirely wiped out by landslides and so few people are left to actually look for the missing.
Taking this into account the health ministry estimates that 3,000 people are missing and 20,000 buildings have collapsed.
World Vision chief Tim Costello has praised Indonesia's efforts in tackling the aftermath of last Wednesday's earthquake.
The debris of collapsed buildings is still strewn around Padang and many structures are now unstable, but Mr Costello says the effectiveness of the emergency response has much improved since 2004's Aceh's tsunami.
He says his organisation will focus its relief efforts beyond Padang city, close to the quake's epicentre where the damage is worse.
Official Indonesia disaster relief figures suggest regional areas around Padang and Pariaman have been the worst affected with 285 confirmed dead and an equal number missing.
Only four people remain missing in Padang City where 149 people are confirmed to have died.
Relief efforts
The Federal Government says it is looking at what it can do to help restore water supplies to Padang.
The Government says it has already committed about $3 million to the recovery effort and Federal Parliamentary Secretary for International Assistance, Bob McMullan, says that figure may increase.
"The Indonesian Government has said that they can get the electricity supply back in Padang within the week, but it might take a month to get proper water supply back up and operating because of the extent of the damage, so we need to do something about water," he said.
The Australian Defence Force has also flown in a second wave of medical officers to Padang to assist after last week's devastating earthquake.
A team of 22 officers from Sydney's first help support unit arrived last night, bringing with them medical equipment and two military vehicles.
They will spend today assessing possible locations for field hospitals in the outlying areas of Padang.
International teams including more than 30 workers from Queensland have also been assisting in the search and rescue effort.
But there is still a lot of wreckage to get through to find people.
Heavy rain last night could slow down that work and has sparked more fears of landslides and disease.
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