THE APPEAL
Help!
This letter was posted on Rick and Jane's original Sea Bridges Website at mentawai.com web site soon after the earthquake and tsunamis. It gives a general background to the immediacy of the mission, and outlines the obvious need to respond to the critical situation in which survivours found themselves.
Dear Readers,
We live in Padang West Sumatra. This is an urgent appeal for help save the lives of survivors of the boxing day quake.
The epicentre of the first and largest quake was between the island of Simeulue and the west coast of Aceh. (see the map above) This is a heavily populated coast with 17 larger towns some as large as 35,000. The total population of this SW coastal area may be as many as as 1 million but statistics are very hard to find. (total population of Aceh is 4 million). The off shore islands are thought to have a combined population of over 10,000 and some have been swept clean. Recent flights over the Banyaks show no sign of life but on other islands there are survivors who are in a bad way.
GROUND ZERO
Given the proximity of the epicentre and the nature of the coast it is reasonable to assume that the size for the tsunamis will have been much larger than anything that has been described so far. This will have been combined with extreme quake damage. There would have been almost no warning nor time to run for the high ground.
Without being alarmist we must face the possibility that there will be more dead and injured in this area than the combined total in all countries so far.
The roads are all close to the coast and even if they survived the quake, they will have been destroyed by tsunamis or blocked by debris. There are no airstrips as far as we know and ports will be out of commission.The fastest way to assess the situation is with helicopters if they are available and have the range. Choppers and airdrops are very expensive and they will only be able to reach a tiny fraction of the survivors.
The only way to help the injured and survivors in many areas is to send boats that can launch inflatables to land on beaches.
The closest functioning port that can be used for airlifted supplies is Teluk Bayur (Padang) about 300nm from the southern end of this major disaster area. The severely impacted coastline is more than 250nm long plus the Banyak Islands and Simuelue Island.
We are co-ordinating with the Mayor of Padang to arrange for a 200 ton capacity car ferry to be loaded with aid material, SAR teams and hopefully medical staff. The boat is big enough to be turned into a floating clinic and can shelter several hundred injured or distressed people while alternative transport is being arranged.
Hopefully the ferry can be ready to leave on Saturday 1st Jan am and given the time that has elapsed every minute counts.
We are hoping that food and medical supplies can be flown to Padang and we are talking to the Australian Embassy now to try to get a C130 aircraft to divert to drop supplies here instead of sending everything to Medan or BandaAceh city.
Aus Aid are here in Padang and the UN CAP are sending a load of high protein biscuits so things are starting to move at last.
We could be looking at many tens of thousands dead and many more in urgent need of drinking water, food and shelter as there is little chance that any supplies have survived the ferocity of the waves that must have slammed into this coast.
Please pass on our contact numbers to any group or individuals who can assist.
Thanks
Rick & Jane
Image Credit: our original Sea Bridges website
ISLANDAID sustainable support to isolated communities
operated by The Electric Lamb Mission
SITE MAP
This letter was posted on Rick and Jane's original Sea Bridges Website at mentawai.com web site soon after the earthquake and tsunamis. It gives a general background to the immediacy of the mission, and outlines the obvious need to respond to the critical situation in which survivours found themselves.
Dear Readers,
We live in Padang West Sumatra. This is an urgent appeal for help save the lives of survivors of the boxing day quake.
The epicentre of the first and largest quake was between the island of Simeulue and the west coast of Aceh. (see the map above) This is a heavily populated coast with 17 larger towns some as large as 35,000. The total population of this SW coastal area may be as many as as 1 million but statistics are very hard to find. (total population of Aceh is 4 million). The off shore islands are thought to have a combined population of over 10,000 and some have been swept clean. Recent flights over the Banyaks show no sign of life but on other islands there are survivors who are in a bad way.
GROUND ZERO
Given the proximity of the epicentre and the nature of the coast it is reasonable to assume that the size for the tsunamis will have been much larger than anything that has been described so far. This will have been combined with extreme quake damage. There would have been almost no warning nor time to run for the high ground.
Without being alarmist we must face the possibility that there will be more dead and injured in this area than the combined total in all countries so far.
The roads are all close to the coast and even if they survived the quake, they will have been destroyed by tsunamis or blocked by debris. There are no airstrips as far as we know and ports will be out of commission.The fastest way to assess the situation is with helicopters if they are available and have the range. Choppers and airdrops are very expensive and they will only be able to reach a tiny fraction of the survivors.
The only way to help the injured and survivors in many areas is to send boats that can launch inflatables to land on beaches.
The closest functioning port that can be used for airlifted supplies is Teluk Bayur (Padang) about 300nm from the southern end of this major disaster area. The severely impacted coastline is more than 250nm long plus the Banyak Islands and Simuelue Island.
We are co-ordinating with the Mayor of Padang to arrange for a 200 ton capacity car ferry to be loaded with aid material, SAR teams and hopefully medical staff. The boat is big enough to be turned into a floating clinic and can shelter several hundred injured or distressed people while alternative transport is being arranged.
Hopefully the ferry can be ready to leave on Saturday 1st Jan am and given the time that has elapsed every minute counts.
We are hoping that food and medical supplies can be flown to Padang and we are talking to the Australian Embassy now to try to get a C130 aircraft to divert to drop supplies here instead of sending everything to Medan or BandaAceh city.
Aus Aid are here in Padang and the UN CAP are sending a load of high protein biscuits so things are starting to move at last.
We could be looking at many tens of thousands dead and many more in urgent need of drinking water, food and shelter as there is little chance that any supplies have survived the ferocity of the waves that must have slammed into this coast.
Please pass on our contact numbers to any group or individuals who can assist.
Thanks
Rick & Jane
Image Credit: our original Sea Bridges website
ISLANDAID sustainable support to isolated communities
operated by The Electric Lamb Mission
SITE MAP
posted by Island Aid at
2:29 pm
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