Category Archives: Sumatra quake

Sumatra quake: a look inside the CRS team

CRS’ emergency response team for the West Sumatra earthquake is already working as a well-oiled machine. Photo by Debbie DeVoe/CRS

CRS’ emergency response team for the West Sumatra earthquake is already working as a well-oiled machine. Photo by Debbie DeVoe/CRS

The Caritas emergency response covers both the work of our national member and the activities of our international members. CRS is a Caritas member in the US with a long record of supporting vulnerable communities in Indonesia. Debbie DeVoe, CRS regional information officer, reporting from Padang, gave us a look inside the CRS team.

Every morning around 7:30, CRS’ emergency response team in Padang, Indonesia, gathers around their one conference table. The team—which two weeks after the quake is now 25 strong—includes CRS Indonesia staff, CRS employees from around the world who have come in on temporary assignments, and newly rehired staff who assisted CRS with our tsunami response in Aceh. Continue reading

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Sumatra quake: On the road to recovery

In the midst of disaster, this resilient Indonesian family is still finding reasons to laugh and be thankful for their lives

In the midst of disaster, this resilient Indonesian family is still finding reasons to laugh and be thankful for their lives

By Debbie DeVoe

Irwan Etendi’s family had never experienced anything like the earthquake that hit West Sumatra, Indonesia, on September 30.

“We were all inside when we felt the shaking,” he says. “We all ran out—even my father-in-law who hadn’t finished his [daily] prayers.”

The extended family of 22 members lives on a large compound in five cement block houses. Now one is a heap of pink concrete rubble. The other four have crumbled walls, extensive cracks and mounds of rubble strewn across the floors.
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Sumatra quake: small contributions, global efforts

Aid workers under the various umbrellas of Caritas Internationalis including Caritas Germanys' Fabien Tritschler gather for logistics meetings at a makeshift co-ordination centre in Padang, West Sumatra to deliver much needed aid to people who have lost thier homes in the earthquake near Padang City, Indonesia. Photograph by James Alcock/Caritas Internationalis (c) 2009.

Aid workers under the various umbrellas of Caritas Internationalis including Caritas Germanys' Fabien Tritschler gather for logistics meetings at a makeshift co-ordination centre in Padang, West Sumatra to deliver much needed aid to people who have lost thier homes in the earthquake near Padang City, Indonesia. Photograph by James Alcock/Caritas Internationalis (c) 2009.

By Loretta Ishida, CRS

Here in Padang, I’m sitting with a mixed team of over 30 people from all over the world and around Indonesia who work for various Caritas entities from different countries (CRS is part of that international network of Catholic charities devoted to reducing poverty and campaigning for social justice). We are sitting in a hot cinder block building which I understand is a Sunday School building under normal circumstances. Off on one side, roasting spices make us cough as some women are constantly cooking to feed the crowd. The group meets every night at 9:30 p.m. to review the day’s activities: traveling to distant villages to see how the earthquake affected them, receiving shipments of tarps, or distributing hygiene kits to affected villages. Most work past midnight, and begin again early the next day.
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Sumatra quake: a nervous wait – part 2

Caritas Austrias' Silvia Holzer stop at the remote village of Kampung Tangah in West Sumatra to distribute much needed aid in the form of hygine kits and tool kits for people who lost thier homes in last weeks devastasting earthquake near Padang City, Indonesia. Photograph by James Alcock/Caritas Internationalis (c) 2009.

Caritas Austrias' Silvia Holzer stop at the remote village of Kampung Tangah in West Sumatra to distribute much needed aid in the form of hygine kits and tool kits for people who lost thier homes in last weeks devastasting earthquake near Padang City, Indonesia. Photograph by James Alcock/Caritas Internationalis (c) 2009.

By Christina Grawe, Caritas Communications Officer

Little Mitra waits in her village of Sikabu Bukit. All the houses here were destroyed by a quake on the 30 September. Her home and her school were destroyed. She waits for the Caritas trucks to arrive with tents for her and her family. Her mother says, “Today our new house will arrive.” Continue reading

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Sumatra quake: a nervous wait

Aid workers under the various umbrellas of Caritas Internationalis gather at Padang Airport as an aircraft arrives with aid relief in the form of  hundreds of tents for displaced Sumatran villagers following last weeks devastasting earthquake near Padang City, Indonesia. Photograph by James Alcock/Caritas Internationalis (c) 2009.

Aid workers of Caritas Internationalis gather at Padang Airport as an aircraft arrives with aid relief in the form of hundreds of tents for displaced Sumatran villagers following last weeks devostasting earthquake near Padang City, Indonesia. Photograph by James Alcock/Caritas Internationalis (c) 2009.

By Christina Grawe, Caritas Communications Officer

Fabian Tritschler is nervous. A plane load of tents for the survivors of the Sumatra quake is due in at 5.30, but he and the Caritas team have been up all night sorting out landing permission.
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Sumatra quake: the Caritas team

James Alcock/Caritas

Caritas staff from Padang, Indonesia, Europe, North America, and Australia work late into the night bringing together the quake response. Photograph by James Alcock/Caritas (c) 2009

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Sumatra quake: Hospital in need too

Credit: James Alcock/Caritas

Scenes of destruction at the hospital. Photo By James Alcock/Caritas

By Tim O’Connor, Caritas Australia

By Tim O’Connor, Caritas Australia

Caitas Fr. Laruffa Aldo has been living in Padang now for 52 years. Although originally from Italy, he now says, “I’m an Indonesian”.

“This hospital started as just a one room clinic”, he said. It is a remarkable achievement seeing the current sprawling three level building that until last week’s earthquake could hold up to 150 people. It had an additional emergency clinic, intensive care unit and all the facilities of a modern hospital.

On 30 September, Fr Aldo’s work was shattered. The hospital building now has been left a twisted and mangled shell by the earthquake. Continue reading

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Sumatra quake: Distributing aid to the grassroots

Credit: James Alcock/Caritas Internationalis (c) 2009.

Centre at St Francis of Assisi in Padang Baru distributes Caritas aid. Photo by James Alcock/Caritas

By Tim O’Connor, Caritas Australia

The centre at St Francis of Assisi in Padang Baru is refilling with aid as fast as it can be distributed. Fr. Agus is involved in coordinating the team of 25 volunteers here who are warehousing and distributing to needy families.

“The aid is coming from the community as donations. Water, noodles, tarpaulins, rice, biscuits, sarongs, all manner of things which people are in desperate need of,” said Fr Agus. “We have already distributed 3.5 tonnes of rice in this Parish and a total of 19.5 tonnes across the whole of Padang.” Continue reading

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Sumatra quake: Beyond the call of duty

Scenes of the makeshift hospital attached to the Yos Sudarso Catholic Hospital which is running beyond full capicity following last weeks devostasting earthquake

Scenes of the makeshift hospital attached to the Yos Sudarso Catholic Hospital which is running beyond full capacity following last weeks devastating earthquake. Photo by James Alcock/Caritas

By Tim O’Connor, Caritas Australia

Helen is a nurse at the Yos Sudarso Catholic Hospital. While taking a short break from her grueling workload, she stopped to talk to the Caritas communications team.

She said, “It is mainly earthquake victims we are treating here. A lot of people have been badly injured, the majority thankfully are fairly minor and they are treated at our polyclinic which we have established at the front of the property.

“We are seeing lots of cuts, abrasions and fractures which we can treat fairly quickly. Although the hospital is badly damaged, we were fortunate in that the x-ray and operating rooms are still able to function as normal.”
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Sumatra quake: Feeding the sick

Volunteers at the St Francis of Assisi Parish, (Padang, Sumatra) including Sister Camela (middle) and Paukus (far left) Sumiami (next left) and Sri Wahyuni attend to cooking duties for the staff and patients of the Yos Sudarso Catholic Hospital which is running beyond full capicity following last weeks devostasting earthquake. Photograph by James Alcock/Caritas (c) 2009.

Volunteers at the St Francis of Assisi Parish,including Sister Camela (middle) and Paukus (far left) Sumiami (next left) and Sri Wahyuni attend to cooking duties for the staff and patients of the Yos Sudarso Catholic Hospital which is running beyond full capacity following last weeks devastating earthquake. Photograph by James Alcock/Caritas (c) 2009.

By Tim O’Connor, Caritas Australia

In Padang, Caritas local parish partners are working hard to keep the hospital running. We visited Padang Baru Parish where teams of 25-30 volunteers per shift are cooking food for the hospital patients and staff and assisting those in their own local community with aid distributions.
Lia, who speaks fluent English from her education in Australia, has traveled here from her home in Jakarta, to lend assistance. As she leads us into the buzzing kitchen the volunteers are busily working in three main groups.
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