Powerful Earthquake Hit Aceh and Medan

[Medan01]

Powerful Earthquake of 8.5 hit Aceh and Medan at 08:00 WIB (01:00 GMT) this morning. The center of the quake is around Biruen in Aceh. A lot of damages and victims reported in Aceh while around Medan no serious damages is reported so far.

The quake at the surrounding islands and countries around the Malaca Strait and the Andaman Sea. 14 people reported kill in Phuket because of the tidal wave. In Sri Lanka, 160 reported dead from the tidal wave following the Indonesian quake.

SBY is said to be flying to Aceh soon after he spent this X'mas with the quake victims in Papua.

I wish to send my condolonces to all of those affected by this quake.

[Imperfect Ending]

Hope my Indonesian forumers are alright :)

[Medan01]

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) just revised the quake to 8.9 - it is now the world's most powerful in 40 years.

[sanhen]

According to detik.com.. so far there are 64 victims in Aceh. Sri Lanka 400 victims. Thailand 64 victims. India 280. Sri Lanka goverment has declared National Emergency.

According to US Geological Surveys, this is no 5 most powerful quake in Aceh since 1900, in scale of 8.9 ritchter.

Wow...
The Pacific Ring of Fire seem to get mad for some reason.

I wish to send my condolonces to all of those affected by this quake too..

[sanhen]

Quake, tidal waves kill hundreds

Colombo
December 27, 2004
http://www.theage.com.au.

A huge earthquake hit southern Asia today, setting off a tsunami that drowned hundreds in Sri Lanka, India and Indonesia and washed away bathers on the Thai tourist island of Phuket.

The earthquake of magnitude 8.5 as measured by the US Geological Survey struck about 8am (midday AEDT) off the coast of the northern Indonesian island of Sumatra and swung north with multiple tremors into the Andaman islands in the Indian Ocean.

A wall of water up to 10 metres high set off by the tremor swept into Indonesia, over the coast of Sri Lanka and India and along the southern Thai tourist island of Phuket, leaving at least 650 people feared dead, officials said.

"Nothing like this has ever happened in our country before," said Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The earthquake was the world's biggest since 1965, said Julie Martinez, geophysicist for the US Geological Survey. "It is multiple earthquakes along the same faultline," she said.

The worst-hit area appeared to be the tourist region of Sri Lanka's south and east and the chairman of the John Keells hotel chain said five of his hotels had been badly flooded.
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At least 500 were feared dead in Sri Lanka, the National Disaster Management Centre said.

"The army and the navy have sent rescue teams, we have deployed over four choppers and half the navy's eastern fleet to look for survivors," said military spokesman Brigadier Daya Ratnayake.

An official in eastern Trincomalee said 3000 people had been displaced and six villages destroyed.

Along the southern Indian coast, as many as 74 people were killed and many injured by a tsunami there, hospital and government officials said.

Officials said 400 fishermen were missing in south India.

"Thirty-four are dead and 14 are admitted in hospital," said an official at the Government Royapettah Hospital in Chennai, formerly known as Madras and the capital of Tamil Nadu state.

Dozens more were dead in Prakasam district in southern Andhra Pradesh and in Machalipatnam district, taking the total death toll in the state to 40, officials said.

The wave swept into the low-lying Maldive islands whose coral atolls are a magnet for tourists, flooding two-thirds of the capital Male, said chief government spokesman Dr Ahmed Shaheed.

"The damage is considerable. The island is only about three feet above sea level and a wave of water four feet high swept over us," he said.

"It is a very bad situation. It is terrible," he said.

"We have no communications with some of the outlying atolls. At this stage we fear the worst. We are trying to send boats to assess the damage, but our resources are stretched to the limit."

The world's worst tsunami in recent history struck on July 17, 1998, when three tsunamis ripped through Papua New Guinea's northwest coast, killing 2500.

As many as 94 people were killed today in Indonesia's Aceh province on northern Sumatra island.

"They were mostly drowned by the waves," Bireuen regency mayor Mustofa said by telephone, adding that hundreds of houses had been swept away.

Indonesia's geophysics and meteorology office put the epicentre of the earthquake at 150km off the southern coast of the island and said the earthquake measured 6.8 on the open-ended Richter scale.

"There was no warning and suddenly the sea water just hit the city," said Bustami, a resident of the Aceh coastal town of Lhokseumawe. "In some parts the water was up to a chest level.

"People are quite panicked now, some of us are walking by foot and others are on military trucks going to higher ground."

Residents said waves as high as five metres struck the northern coast, killing at least nine, causing widespread damage and sending thousands fleeing in panic.

Residents said buildings collapsed and people fled their houses.

Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands, lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire where plate boundaries intersect and volcanoes regularly erupt.

In the Thai tourist island of Phuket at least one person was killed, four were missing and 100 injured when the wave, five to 10 metres high, crashed onto beaches lined with luxury hotels at the peak of the tourist season.

"There was a very large ocean wave after the earthquake and about 100 people were injured," Suparerk Tansriratanawong, director general of Thailand's Meteorological Department, told Reuters.


More than 10 people were killed and 100 injured or missing in the southern Thai province of Phang Nga.

The prime minister called for the evacuation of areas hit by a tsunami wave in three southern provinces, including Phuket.

"I have ordered that rescue officials move people out of the risk area," Thaksin told reporters.

- Reuters

[Ara]

That is crazy. Imagine if the quake hit the eastern part of Sumatra.

[sanhen]

Death toll just increased:
Aceh 157
Sri Lanka 1000

[Solblanc]

damn...

earthquakes and tsunamis are the worst.

[Medan01]

That is crazy. Imagine if the quake hit the eastern part of Sumatra.

Then, it will be a much bigger disaster....Imagine Banda Aceh, Medan, Penang, Langkawi, Phuket could really be distroyed. Kuala Lumpur can be damaged as well while Bangkok and Singapore will probably feel a much stronger tremor....Just can't imagine....and let's hope it won't happen.

Again, now let's hope helps are on the way for those people affected in Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Sri lanka, Bangladesh, India, and Maldives.

[Medan01]

It seems now that Sultan Iskandar Muda Airport in Banda Aceh is heavily damaged. All flights have been suspended and re-routed to Medan,

Communication to Nias Island which is located not far from the quake epicenter is still not possible.

[laba-laba]

Im in Medan.
Everything is okey.. but maybe this is bigest earthquake in Medan. Strong and long ;p~~

Di Rumah kedengaran "krek2" makanya berlamburan keluar rumah. Pohon2 bergoyang2.
Di medan baik2 saja.
Aku merasa takut ketika gempa bumi berlangsung hingga 1 menitan.. karena aku merasa 3,4 menit gempa.

Dikabarkan cuman beberapa hotel dan bangunan tinggi yang mengalamin kerusakan, seperti pecah kaca, dsb nya.

Dari siang hingga malam ini medan kembali lancar. Masyarakat tidak takut untuk berpergian ke MALL2 dan pusat2 belanja.

info terakhir dari CNN
SRI LANKA
Confirmed death toll is over 1,500, but Colombo officials believe death toll will rise above 2,000

INDIA
At least 1,000 killed by waves which flooded the southern coast, interior minister says

INDONESIA
More than 450 killed -- many of them in Aceh, in northern Sumatra

THAILAND
Thai authorities say at least 248 killed -- 200 reported on the small island of Phiphi

MALDIVES
At least three children reported killed in the high waters on an island north of the capital, Male

Maap aku ndak pakek bahasa ingris.

[Medan01]

Good to know you are Ok, laba laba. I saw on the Australian TV this afternoon that Sun Plaza also reported some cracks.

[Vapour]

:( Receive my condolences

[Ara]

Does anybody know if the majority of skyscrapers in Indonesia are designed for earthquakes?

How has Pulau Weh effected?

[Medan01]

I guess some of the buildings are..... However, I doubt a lot of buildings can survive 8.9. Remember the 6.8 in Kobe back in 1994? All structures in Japan are constructed as earthquake safe and yet had hard time surviving that in 1994.

I just heard from my brother in Medan that the Kuala Tripa hotel in Banda Aceh did not survive the quake. Kuala Tripa was considered the best in Banda Aceh. Please take note that the strongest aftershock occured in Banda Aceh with a scale of 7.3.

[Yamauchi]

:( Could get quite a bit worse after the aftershocks.

Sri Lanka: 3,000
India: 2,000
Indonesia: 1,870
Thailand: 200
Malaysia: 42
Bangladesh: 2

[Yamauchi]

Exactly one year since the Bam earthquake in Iran (Dec. 26th). Maybe someone is trying to tell us something.

[Yamauchi]

Anyone know of funds set up to help those effected, especially in Aceh. Indonesians can come together and show they care.

[Isan]

More than 8,700 people across Asia were killed Sunday after one of the most powerful earthquakes on record triggered massive tidal waves that slammed into coastlines in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India, Thailand and Malaysia.

Tourists, fishermen, hotels, homes and cars were swept away by walls of water unleashed by the 8.9-magnitude earthquake, centered off the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, where at least 1,902 people were killed by floods and collapsing buildings, officials said.

But the scope of the disaster became apparent only after waves as high as six meters (20 feet) crashed into coastal areas throughout the Indian Ocean and Andaman Sea.

In Sri Lanka _ some 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) west of the epicenter _ the death toll stood at 4,150, according to police and Tamil Tiger rebels. One million more were affected by the surging wall of water, the government said.

Indian officials said more than 2,000 had been killed along the country's southern coast. Another 289 were confirmed dead in Thailand, 42 in Malaysia and 2 in Bangladesh. Thousands of people were missing, many of them fishermen at sea, and rescue workers struggled against floodwaters to find and evacuate stranded victims.

The death toll climbed throughout the day and was expected to grow even higher as more bodies were discovered. Hundreds of bodies were found on various beaches along India's southern state of Tamil Nadu, and more were expected to be washed in by the sea, officials said.

"I was shocked to see innumerable fishing boats flying on the shoulder of the waves, going back and forth into the sea, as if made of paper," said P. Ramanamurthy, 40, a resident of the neighboring Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

"Many boats were upturned, but fishermen were still holding on to them," Ramanamurthy said. "They also were pushed into the sea. It was shocking."

Among those killed along India's Andhra Pradesh state were 32 people, including 15 children, who had gone into the sea for a Hindu religious bath to mark the full moon day, police said. They said 20,000 people were evacuated in four districts.

The U.S. Geological Survey's Web site recorded the magnitude 8.9 earthquake off the west coast of northern Sumatra, 1,620 kilometers (1,000 miles) northwest of Jakarta. It was centered 40 kilometers (25 miles) below the seabed. Aftershocks struck in the magnitude 7 range.

The earthquake was the world's fifth most powerful since 1900 and the strongest since a 9.2 temblor slammed Alaska in 1964, U.S. earthquake experts said.

The force of it shook unusually far afield, causing buildings to sway hundreds of miles away, from Singapore to the city of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, and in Bangladesh, hours after the region's Christian communities had finished Christmas celebrations.

Initial damage centered on the Indonesian province of Aceh on northern Sumatra. Dozens of buildings were destroyed, but as elsewhere, much of the death toll appeared to come from onrushing floodwaters.

Towns nearest the epicenter were leveled by tidal waves, which killed at least 1,902 people and left bodies wedged in trees as the waters receded, Indonesian officials and witnesses said. Officials warned the death toll could rise dramatically.

"I saw nine people killed by flooding, including four children," a witness who gave his name as Mustafa told el-Shinta radio station from Banda Aceh.

A spokesman for Indonesian state-owned Garuda Airlines said Banda Aceh's airport was flooded and planes were unable to land.

In Sri Lanka, the government called Sunday's events a national disaster and appealed for emergency relief.

"It is a very tragic situation," said police spokesman Rienzie Perera, adding that some hospitals were unable to treat the injured.

Holidays turned to disaster in southern Thailand, which welcomes hundreds of thousands of tourists to its southern beaches during the Christmas season. At least 289 people died, 1,900 others were injured and thousands _ reportedly including foreign tourists on diving excursions _ were missing, authorities said.

"Just out of nowhere, suddenly the streets (were) awash and people just running and screaming from the beach," John Hyde, a vacationing Australian state lawmaker, told Australian Broadcasting Corp. television.

"People were getting swept along still on their motorbikes," Simon Morse, another Australian tourist, told the ABC. "There were cars that had been picked up by the storm surge and they were getting pushed down the road, taking things out as they went."

The owner of two resorts on Phi Phi island _ where the film "The Beach", starring Leonardo DiCaprio, was filmed _ said that 200 of his bungalows were swept out to sea, along with some of his employees and customers.

"I am afraid that there will be a high figure of foreigners missing in the sea, and also my staff," said Chan Marongtaechar, who was in the Thai capital of Bangkok at the time. He estimated that 700 people could have been on the beach.

In India, 2,016 people were killed, many swept away in boats, homes and vehicles, officials said.

The worst affected area was Tamil Nadu state where 1,567 people were killed, said the state's top elected official, Chief Minister Jayaram Jayalalithaa.

At least 102 people were killed in the federally administered territory of Pondicherry near Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry Chief Minister N. Rangasamy said.

At least 116 people were killed in Kerala state, said Fisheries Minister Dominic Presentation. Another 14 died in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Among those killed in India's Andhra Pradesh syaye were 32 people _ 15 of them children _ who had gone into the sea for a Hindu religious bath.

High waves inundated the Maldives, a string of 1,192 coral atolls off the southwestern coast of India, injuring one Italian tourist and forcing the airport to close, an official said. A British man died from a heart attack minutes before the waves hit.

In Malaysia, authorities closed some beaches to the public after 42 people were swept away near the northern city of Penang. The victims were believed to be mainly tourists and included some foreigners, a police spokesman said. Their identities were not immediately known.

At least 2 children were killed when a boat capsized in Bangladesh, local authorities said.

Officials received reports that some vessels capsized at sea, but there were no further details, said Low Kong Chiew, director of the state government's Seismological Division.

[Yamauchi]

:( It just keeps going up, 9500 (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=574&e=3&u=/nm/quake_dc) now.

[sanhen]

Tidal wave toll climbs over 11,000
December 27, 2004 - 6:09AM

Tidal waves from a massive undersea earthquake smashed into coastlines across Asia, washing away whole villages in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India and dragging sunbathers out to sea and snorkelers across jagged reefs at tourist havens in Thailand. More than 11,300 people were killed in six countries.

The death toll from the most powerful earthquake in four decades climbed steadily throughout Sunday as authorities counted bodies washed up on beaches and left hanging like ragdolls from trees. Foreign tourists were among the dead and the thousands of others who were reported missing. Tens of thousands fled the coasts for higher ground, fearing aftershocks and further flood surges.

Worst hit was Sri Lanka - an island nation some 1,600 kilometres west of the epicentre. The death toll stood at 4,500, according to police and Tamil Tiger rebels and one million people were displaced. Sri Lanka's government declared a national disaster.

The 8.9-magnitude earthquake - the strongest since a 9.2 magnitude temblor in Alaska in 1964 - struck around breakfast time off the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, about 1,620 kilometres northwest of Jakarta, the capital, the US Geological Survey said. It was 10 kilometres deep, and was followed by a half-dozen powerful aftershocks, ranging in magnitude from almost 6 and 7.3.
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Towns in Sumatra's Aceh province, the closest region to the earthquake's epicentre, were swamped by the waves. The health ministry said at least 4,185 people were killed, and hundreds more were missing in the area.

The quake occurred at a place where several huge geological plates push against each other with massive force. The survey said a 1,000-kilometre section along the boundary of the plates shifted, motion that triggered the sudden displacement of a huge volume of water.

The reverberations sent waves as high as six metres thundering into the coasts of six countries, sweeping away tourists, fishermen, hotels, homes and cars.

"Suddenly this huge wave came, rushing down the beach, destroying everything in its wake," said Simon Clark, 29, a photographer from London vacationing on Thailand's Ngai island. "People that were snorkeling were dragged along the coral and washed up on the beach, and people that were sunbathing got washed into the sea."

A government disaster center said 289 people, including a number of Western holiday-makers, were killed and more than 3,600 injured in southern Thai resorts.

"We initially thought it was a terrorist attack, then the wave came and we just kept running upstairs to get on as high ground as we could," Gerrard Donnelly, another British tourist, staying at a resort in Phuket, Thailand, told Sky News.

In India, the waves swept away boats, homes and vehicles killing nearly 2,300 people in the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Pondicherry, officials said.

Tamil Nadu's beaches resembled open-air mortuaries as fishermen's bodies washed ashore, and retreating waters left behind others killed inland. Sea water flooded the streets of Cuddalore town, flipping over dozens of cars and leaving some vehicles perched atop road dividers. At least 20,000 people were evacuated from the region, officials said. At least 300 people were killed on India's Andaman and Nicobar islands, and another 700 were missing and believed dead, Press Trust of India cited the region's police chief as saying.

"I was shocked to see innumerable fishing boats flying on the shoulder of the waves, going back and forth into the sea, as if made of paper," said P Ramanamurthy, 40, an Andhra Pradesh resident.

"Many boats were upturned, but fishermen were still holding on to them," he said. "They also were pushed into the sea. It was shocking."

In Aceh's Lancuk village, and a reporter for The Associated Press saw several bodies wedged into trees, apparently left there by receding waters. At least 30,000 people were reported to have fled their homes in the region. At least 49 were killed on the island of Nias, to Sumatra's west and close to the epicentre of the quake.

In Malaysia, at least 42 people, including foreign tourists swimming or riding jetskis, were killed on the resort island of Penang, police and government officials said.

The force of the earthquake shook unusually far afield, causing buildings to sway hundreds of miles away, from Singapore to the city of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, and in Bangladesh, hours after the region's Christian communities had finished Christmas celebrations.

From the Vatican, Pope John Paul II led appeals for aid for victims, a call that was quickly echoed across much of Europe as relief efforts were organized and government rushed to check whether their citizens were among the missing or dead.

"The Christmas holiday has been saddened by the news that comes from Southeast Asia about the powerful earthquake," the pontiff said during his customary Sunday address.

"Let us pray for the victims of this enormous tragedy and assure them of our solidarity for all those who suffer, while we hope that the international community acts to bring relief to the stricken populations," he said.

The 25-nation European Union promised to quickly deliver 3 million euro ($A5.3 million) in emergency aid.

"For all the huge advances in the control of our lives through science and technology, an earthquake on this scale is truly humbling as well as profoundly tragic," said British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.

Holidays turned to disaster in southern Thailand, which welcomes hundreds of thousands of tourists to its southern beaches during the Christmas season.

The owner of two resorts on Phi Phi island - where the Hollywood blockbuster The Beach, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, was filmed - said that 200 of his bungalows were swept out to sea, along with some of his employees and customers.

"I am afraid that there will be a high figure of foreigners missing in the sea, and also my staff," said Chan Marongtaechar, who was in the Thai capital of Bangkok at the time. He estimated that 700 people could have been on the beach.

High waves inundated the Maldives, a string of 1,192 coral atolls off the southwestern coast of India, injuring one Italian tourist and forcing the airport to close, an official said. A British man died from a heart attack minutes before the waves hit.

At least two children were killed when a boat capsized in Bangladesh, local authorities said.

© 2004 AP

[Yamauchi]

4,400 in Indonesia now. They've stopped collecting bodies for the night. Let's hope it doesn't rise much further.

[liping_t]

MY Condolences for all the deaths and people affected in Indonesia. OUr hearts are with you...

[Christianmx]

God I had no idea. I saw a headline of an earthquake in Asia this morning when I got home and I thought "God I hope it was nothing serious".

I am so sorry :cry:

[chicagogeorge]

Unfortunately the casualty numbers will rise dramatically in the coming days. This was a catastrophic event for Souteast Asia.

[Christianmx]

God I had no idea. I saw a headline of an earthquake in Asia this morning when I got home and I thought "God I hope it was nothing serious".

I am so sorry :cry:

[tyronne]

my prayers and sympathies go out to all the victims and their families...

[lumpia]

:( I pray for all those who are caught up in this terrible disaster, as well as pray for the relatives! i cannot begin to imagine how their lives and conditions are at this very moment in time! :( let's hope n pray that the toll won't rise any higher!

[Ashok]

DISASTER TOLL
Sri Lanka: 4,300 dead
Indonesia: 4,185 dead
India: 2,900 dead
Thailand: 310 dead
Malaysia: 28 dead
Maldives: 10 dead
Bangladesh: 2 dead

[Bond James Bond]

Wow, this is tragic. My thoughts and condolences go out to all affected. :(

[Yamauchi]

Latest number is 12,300.

[AG]

This is awful. I send my condolences out to all affected by this disaster.

Apparently this earthquake has been upgraded from 8.9 on the richter scale to 9.0 on the richter scale by the US Geological Survey, making it the fourth strongest recorded since 1900:


Quake upgraded to 9.0
From correspondents in Los Angeles
27dec04
THE US Geological Survey today said the earthquake that sparked huge tidal waves in the Indian Ocean measured 9.0 on the open-ended Richter scale, making it the fourth biggest quake in the past century.

Don Blakeman, a senior geophysicist at the survey, said the figure had been revised up from 8.9 after the study of new data.

"This was a very major event, the fourth largest earthquake since 1900," Mr Blakeman said from the survey base in Golden, Colorado.

The worst earthquake since 1900 was a 9.5-magnitude quake in Chile in 1960, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

Two earthquakes in Alaska, in 1957 and 1964, and one in Russia's Kamchatka region in 1952, ranked 9.0 or above. The Kamchatka temblor also measured 9.0 on the Richter scale.

The Indian Ocean quake struck 250km southeast of Banda Aceh in Sumatra sending tidal waves roaring across the Indian Ocean, killing more than 11,500 people according to the latest tolls.

Another USGS expert said four hours after the first quake, an aftershock measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale was recorded. He said several measuring 6.5 or more on the Richter scale were also felt and that more aftershocks were expected.

But the first huge quake caused the devastating tidal waves, the expert said.

[laba-laba]

I guess some of the buildings are..... However, I doubt a lot of buildings can survive 8.9. Remember the 6.8 in Kobe back in 1994? All structures in Japan are constructed as earthquake safe and yet had hard time surviving that in 1994.

I just heard from my brother in Medan that the Kuala Tripa hotel in Banda Aceh did not survive the quake. Kuala Tripa was considered the best in Banda Aceh. Please take note that the strongest aftershock occured in Banda Aceh with a scale of 7.3.

In medan only scale 5.4 R.
Scale 8.9 in ocean. its about 250km from Meolaboh.
Thats why the big problem coused by Tsunami.

[stanford]

up to 13.390

im so sorry..

[sanhen]

yesterday i was watching some tv show about devastating storm that hits adelaide exactly 30 years a go. and then this happen.

[AG]

yesterday i was watching some tv show about devastating storm that hits adelaide exactly 30 years a go. and then this happen.
I think you mean Darwin. It was 90% destroyed by a cyclone on Christmas Eve in 1974. I know people who were involved in this disaster. Adelaide never has any large scale storms occur.

[sanhen]

ah yeah.. darwin. not adelaide. dunno why i type adelaide when i have darwin in my mind hehehe.

[IsaganiZenze]

Asia quake death toll tops 15,000

CHENNAI, India (CNN) -- As dawn broke Monday across the Bay of Bengal, countries struck by tsunamis in the wake of the most powerful earthquake the planet has seen in 40 years focused on relief and rescue efforts, and said the death toll from the giant waves -- already more than 15,000 -- is expected to rise further.


The tsunamis also left thousands injured, thousands missing and hundreds of thousands homeless in Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

A Sri Lankan forecaster warned of a "remote possibility of small tidal waves" caused by aftershocks Monday.

Some of the tsunamis reached as far as 1,600 kilometers (91,000 miles) from the epicenter of the 9.0 magnitude quake, which was located about 160 kilometers (100 miles) off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra Island at a depth of about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).

The quake struck about 7 a.m. Sunday (midnight GMT Saturday), according to the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Center.

It is the fourth-largest earthquake since such measurements began in 1899, according to the NEIC, tying with a 1952 quake in Kamchatka, Russia.

More than 4,500 people have been reported dead in Sri Lanka. Most of them, authorities said, were in the eastern district of Batticaloa. Thousands were missing and more than a half million displaced.

In southern Sri Lanka, 200 prisoners escaped when the waves swept away a high-security prison in Matara.

Witnesses in the eastern Sri Lankan port city Trincomalee reported 14 meter (40-foot) waves hitting inland as far as a kilometer (0.6 miles).

The Sri Lankan government declared a state of emergency, and, along with the government of the Maldives, has requested international assistance, the United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported.

The United Nations has warned of epidemics within days unless health systems in the affected areas can cope.

"This may be the worst natural disaster in recent history because it is affecting so many heavily populated coastal areas ... so many vulnerable communities," the U.N.'s Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland told CNN. (Full story)

As the sun rose, 20,000 Sri Lankan soldiers and naval personnel launched relief and rescue efforts. India sent six warships, carrying supplies, along with helicopters.

Priorities including identifying the hardest-hit areas and air-dropping supplies, along with shepherding stranded people to safer areas.

Sri Lankan authorities imposed a curfew overnight, and many residents remained concerned about the possibility of additional tsunamis.

The country has been in the throes of a civil war, and land mines uprooted by the waves were hampering relief efforts.

Some tourists, meanwhile, had been evacuated from the hard-hit eastern coasts to the capital, Colombo, on the west coast and unaffected.

At first light, many Sri Lankans ventured out to scour the debris for belongings or to search for information on missing family members.

Although India was giving aid to Sri Lanka, that country also was reeling from the aftermath of the quake and tsunamis. India's official government news agency, Press Trust of India, said at least 6,000 Indians were killed, and more bodies were being recovered.

A resident of Chennai (formerly Madras) in Tamil Nadu district -- India's hardest-hit area -- said he saw several people being swept out to sea.

Along India's southeastern coast, several villages appeared to have been swept away, and thousands of fishermen -- including 2,000 from the Chennai area alone -- who were at sea when the waves thundered ashore have not returned. (Full story)

Along the coast, brick foundations were all that remained of village homes. In Tamil Nadu state, 1,725 people have been confirmed dead, and officials feared many more died on the remote Andaman and Nicobar islands, where dozens of aftershocks were centered, but communication with the mainland was cut off.

CNN correspondent Ram Ramgopal said authorities had confirmed 2,000 deaths on those islands.

Efforts to provide survivors with food and shelter were hampered by the overwhelming magnitude of the damage.

Thai authorities said more than 400 people are dead, and hundreds are missing in Phuket.

The area provides 40 percent of Thailand's $10 billion annual income from tourism.

Among the missing were scuba divers who had been exploring the Emerald Cave off Phuket's coast.

Phuket's airport -- which closed when its runways flooded -- reopened, but most roads in the area remained closed, as officials tried to assess the damage.

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra arrived in Phuket and declared the situation "under control." He told CNN he planned to direct rescue and relief efforts overnight.

Witnesses reported guests drowned in their hotel rooms near the coast as 10 meter (30-foot) waves washed ashore.

Others reported narrow escapes -- including a Spaniard who had been aboard a boat when the wave approached.

The captain began screaming and turned the boat directly into a nearby shore, where he beached it.

As those aboard jumped from the craft and scrambled up the steep beach, they turned back to see the waves crush their boat, the Spaniard said.

Communication difficulties
More than 500 people have been confirmed dead in Indonesia -- many of them in Aceh, in northern Sumatra, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) from the quake's epicenter, according to local reports.

The quake also inflicted heavy damage on the area, which is a hotbed of rebel activity, before two tsunamis slammed the coastline.

Access and communications were difficult if not impossible; the death toll remained a mystery on the west coast of Aceh, where communications had been completely wiped out. News agencies in the country have reported more than 4,000 dead.

The tsunamis struck with no warning to those in coastal areas, as no warning system exists for the Indian Ocean, said Eddie Bernard, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Pacific Marine and Environmental Labs in Seattle.

Staffers at warning centers that cover the Pacific Basin and the U.S. West Coast were aware of the quake and the possibility of tsunamis, said Laura Kong, director of the International Tsunami Information Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.

"They were able to make contact, but they did not have the proper government officials to notify," she said. "They'll be working on this in the future."

The earthquake is classified as "great" -- the strongest classification given by the NEIC.

NEIC geophysicist Don Blakeman said the tsunamis were triggered by the initial massive jolt.

"The damage is just phenomenal," said Jan Egelund, U.N. emergency relief coordinator. "I think we are seeing now one of the worst natural disasters ever."

Aftershocks
There was disagreement over whether the threat was over. Waverly Person, Blakeman's colleague at NEIC, said the tsunamis are "long over" and residents and visitors should not worry about further tsunamis.

Bernard, however, said the aftershocks are strong enough to produce more tsunamis.

One such aftershock, measuring 7.3 in magnitude, struck about 300 kilometers (200 miles) northwest of Banda Aceh -- on Sumatra's northernmost tip -- more than four hours after the initial quake, according to the NEIC.

The center expects the quake to produce hundreds of smaller aftershocks, under 4.6 magnitude, and thousands smaller than that.

"A quake of this size has some pretty serious effects," Person said.

The quake represented the energy released from "a very large rupture in the earth's crust" more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) long. The rupture created shock waves that pushed the water at speeds of up to several hundred kilometers per hour.

It was the strongest earthquake to hit anywhere on Earth since March 1964, when a 9.2 quake struck near Alaska's Prince William Sound.

The strongest recorded earthquake (and records go back to 1899) registered 9.5 on May 22, 1960, in Chile.

Sunday's quake hit a year after the 6.6-magnitude quake in Bam, Iran, which killed more than 30,000 people, injured another 30,000 and destroyed 85 percent of the buildings in the southeastern Iran city.

-- CNN Correspondents Aneesh Raman in Phuket, Thailand, Satinder Bindra in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Atika Shubert in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Suhasini Haidar in Chennai, India contributed to this report

[sanhen]

Now at 22,000.
Geez... when this will ever stop..

[JAG2]

my condolances for the victims in South - South East Asia

[Ashok]

Now at 22,000.
Geez... when this will ever stop..

now death toll @ 23,700

[Aguila Real]

My Condolences to all our friends from this region of South Asia, i really wish the best for your countries and hope the support of the international community arrives soon and be effective enough to be useful.

My best wishes and prays for your people and a big hug from Mexico.

God bless you friends... :(

[Yamauchi]

Kalla is saying Aceh could have 25,000 dead. I hope he is wrong. :(

[teddybear]

On BBC I saw footage of part of Aceh from above. Looks really bad. But then Aceh must suffer the worst, since it is close to the epicenter.
My condolances to all of the afflicted families.

[Monkey]

My heart goes out to your country, my friends. :(

[ryanprima]

I found this picture in this website http://staff.aist.go.jp/kenji.satake/,that explain why this earthquake effected to nearly 5 countryhttp://staff.aist.go.jp/kenji.satake/animation.gif

[sanhen]

Tsunami quake wobbled Earth's axis
December 28, 2004 - 12:54PM

An earthquake that unleashed deadly tidal waves on Asia was so powerful it made the Earth wobble on its axis and permanently altered the regional map, US geophysicists said today.

The 9.0-magnitude temblor that struck 250 km south-east of Sumatra island on Sunday may have moved small islands as much as 20 metres, according to one expert.

"That earthquake has changed the map," US Geological Survey expert Ken Hudnut told AFP.

"Based on seismic modelling, some of the smaller islands off the south-west coast of Sumatra may have moved to the south-west by about 20 metres. That is a lot of slip."

The north-western tip of the Indonesian island of Sumatra may also have shifted to the south-west by around 36 metres, Hudnut said.

In addition, the energy released as the two sides of the undersea fault slipped against each other made the Earth wobble on its axis, Hudnut said.

"We can detect very slight motions of the Earth and I would expect that the Earth wobbled in its orbit when the earthquake occurred due to the massive amount of energy exerted and the sudden shift in mass," Hudnut said.
AdvertisementAdvertisement

Another USGS research geophysicist agreed that the Earth would have got a "little jog", and that the islands off Sumatra would have been moved by the quake.

However, Stuart Sipkin, of the USGS National Earthquake Information Centre in Golden Colorado, said it was more likely that the islands off Sumatra had risen higher out of the sea than they had moved laterally.

"In this case, the Indian plate dived below the Burma plate, causing uplift, so most of the motion to the islands would have been vertical, not horizontal."

The tsunamis unleashed by the fourth-biggest earthquake in a century have left more than 23,000 people dead in eight countries across Asia and as far as Somalia in East Africa.

The tsunamis wiped out entire coastal villages and pulled beach-goers out to sea.

The International Red Cross estimated that up to one million people have been displaced by the natural disaster.

- AFP

[Medan01]

Indonesia has increased the confirmed deaths to 15,000........This tragedy is truly sad. As of now, the death toll stands at 40,000.

[schmidt]

I read Indonesia confirmed 21.000 deaths and the death toll is at 44.000 :(

[manila_boy]

how sad,,,,my condolances for the family of the victims.

[Clifster]

its now yp to 46 000

[teddybear]

http://www.jawapos.com/images/1104256628b

Meulaboh Hancur Lebur, Belum Tersentuh (The Town of Meulaboh Completely Destroyed, and Still Isolated)

News in Indonesia from Jawapos:

MEDAN - Kian hari kian menyedihkan. Kemarin baru tersibak, Meulaboh menjadi korban paling parah hantaman tsunami empat hari lalu. Perkiraan Wapres Jusuf Kalla, korban tewas di ibu kota Kabupaten Aceh Barat itu mencapai 10.000 jiwa. Ini jumlah korban paling besar di satu lokasi.

"Dengan sangat berat hati, saya melihat hampir seluruh kota Meulaboh hancur. Kira-kira 80 persen," kata Kalla yang matanya tampak berkaca-kaca di pos Satuan Koordinasi Pelaksanaan (Satkorlak) Bencana di Bandara Polonia, Medan, kemarin.

Kalla menyatakan kabar sedih itu setelah melihat dengan mata kepala sendiri Meulaboh yang hancur lebur. Kemarin dia memantau lewat udara terhadap wilayah Aceh dan Sumatera Utara, sepanjang Pantai Barat, dari Pulau Nias sampai Meulaboh. Meulaboh memang lokasi yang paling dekat dengan episentrum (titik pusat gempa).

Dalam meninjau lokasi gempa tersebut, Kalla didampingi oleh Gubernur Sumatera Utara Tengku Rizal Nurdin, Mendagri M. Ma’ruf, dan Menteri Kesehatan Siti Fadilah Supari. Kalla mengendarai pesawat Boeing 737 Mission Cansole. Pemantauan lewat udara dilakukan pada pukul 08.30 sampai pukul 12.00.

Perkiraan jumlah korban itu sangat besar karena meliputi lebih dari seperenam penduduk Meulaboh yang tak sampai 60 ribu jiwa. Lagi pula, perkiraan itu bisa meleset karena kota itu belum tertangani penolong. Seluruh akses jalan ke wilayah itu terputus. Semua jenis komunikasi juga lumpuh. Bandaranya pun terbelah.

Pendaratan hanya mungkin dilakukan dengan helikopter. Baru dua helikopter yang kemarin mendaratkan pasukan TNI perintis ke sana. Keadaan sangat memprihatinkan karena sudah tiga hari penduduk yang masih hidup dan mengalami aneka kesengsaraan tidak memperoleh bantuan. Sampai kemarin pun, penanganan korban belum bisa menyentuh kota di pinggir Samudera Indonesia itu.

Wapres memperkirakan korban yang tewas terkena tsunami di seluruh kawasan Aceh dan kawasan Sumatera Utara mencapai 25 ribu jiwa. Artinya, Indonesia menderita kematian paling parah di antara banyak negara yang terhantam tsunami tektonik itu.

Perkiraan Kalla untuk korban ini sudah terlampaui. Hasil hitungan korban di Aceh, seperti disebut AFP, mencapai 27.174 orang. Itu separo dari jumlah korban total yang dihitung kemarin, yakni mencapai 55.000 tewas.

Dengan korban itu, Indonesia kini menduduki tempat pertama dalam hal jumlah korban terbanyak. Disusul kemudian Srilanka, yang hingga kemarin menyebut 17.640 korban tewas. India lebih dari 10.000 tewas, terparah di Pulau Andaman dan Nicobar di Teluk Benggala.

Thailand menyebut korban tewas hingga kemarin 1.516 orang, 700 di antaranya turis asing. Disebutkan masih sekitar 1.200 orang masih hilang.

Kerahkan Kapal Perang
Kondisi di lapangan memang sangat mengerikan. Dari hasil survei lewat udara di kawasan pantai barat Aceh dan Sumut tersebut, Kalla mengungkapkan kota Meulaboh, yang langsung bertetangga dengan Samudera Hindia, rata dengan tanah. Hanya beberapa bangunan ruko dan gedung bertingkat yang masih bertahan. Pengamatan dari helikopter lebih detail menggambarkan kehancuran tersebut.

Wapres bersama rombongan menyaksikan wilayah Aceh dan Sumatera Utara, sepanjang Pantai Barat, dari Pulau Nias sampai Meulaboh. Dari pantauan udara itu, kawasan Meulaboh mengalami kerusakan yang paling parah.

Di antara seluruh daerah di Meulaboh, yang tampak masih utuh adalah daerah Kualatripa sampai Tapaktuan. "Di luar daerah itu, kondisinya hancur. Memang, ada tanda-tanda kehidupan. Tapi, terlihat hampir seluruh rumah terseret ke laut," papar pengusaha asal Makasar ini.

Menurut situs resmi Pemkab Aceh Barat, luas kabupaten ini 292,795 hektare atau 2.442 km2. Penduduk kabupaten yang beribukota di Meulaboh itu 172.616 jiwa. Kabupaten tersebut diapit Samudera Hindia dan Bukit Barisan. Sebanyak 55,7 persen wilayahnya diselimuti hutan. Selain itu, juga menghampar luas perkebunan kopi dan kelapa sawit.

Bagaimana nasib warga Aceh Barat di luar Meulaboh? Mereka juga belum bisa diketahui. Sebab, wilayah itu ikut terisolasi.

Untuk mempercepat upaya bantuan korban, Kalla menugaskan gubernur Sumatera Utara untuk menanganinya. "Untuk alasan logistik dan praktis, seluruh pertolongan dan rehabilitasi -mulai Nias sampai Meulaboh- ditangani langsung gubernur Sumatera Utara," ungkap Wapres. Jadi, tambah dia, gubernur Sumatera Utara bertanggung jawab untuk pos logistik di posko dan operasional bantuan langsung sampai Pantai Barat, Meulaboh ke atas.

Kalla mengungkapkan, karena musibah di Aceh merupakan bencana nasional, berarti pemerintah yang ditunjuk berhak mengambil segala tindakan yang perlu. "Termasuk, misalnya mengalihkan segala rute penerbangan, transportasi laut, atau helikopter," papar Kalla.

Kemarin, Kalla langsung memerintahkan agar mengirimkan bantuan makanan ke Pantai Barat. Bantuan akan dikirim melalui jalur laut dengan mengerahkan kapal perang. Pemerintah akan menempatkan KRI Sibolga di sana.

Dalam kesempatan itu, Wapres juga mengharapkan masyarakat untuk terus berdoa demi pemulihan para korban gempa. "Kami juga berharap, masyarakat di seluruh Indonesia dan internasional peduli dan memberikan bantuan untuk mengurangi penderitaan masyarakat korban gempa dan tsunami," jelasnya.

Sementara itu, di Bandara Polonia Medan sendiri, pengungsi dari Banda Aceh terus berdatangan sejak Senin lalu. Mereka diangkut dengan pesawat Hercules milik TNI AU. Hingga kemarin sore, sudah ratusan pengungsi yang mengalami luka serius maupun luka ringan. Yang luka serius langsung disalurkan di rumah-rumah sakit yang berada di Medan.

Pengiriman korban luka ke Medan itu telah diputuskan Wapres sejak Senin lalu. Sebab, di Banda Aceh, hanya satu rumah sakit yang berfungsi, yaitu RS Kesehatan Kodam Iskandar Muda (RS Kesdam). Sementara itu, RSU Zainal Abibin maupun rumah sakit lain di Banda Aceh tak bisa difungsikan karena mengalami kerusakan berat. Dengan demikian, di Banda Aceh, penanganan korabn luka hanya dipusatkan di RS Kesdam. (ssk)

Sumber Peta:Situs Resmi Pemda Aceh http://www.bandaaceh.go.id/citymap.asp
Mengapa korban Banda Aceh sangat besar?
- Adalah daerah pesisir dan datar. Pada 2000 lalu, kota Banda Aceh mengalami banjir terbesar dalam 100 tahun terakhir.
- Rata-rata tinggi daratan 0,5 hingga 1 meter di atas permukaan laut.
- Banyak dilalui saluran air serta kanal-kanal sungai (krueng).
- Jarak dari Banda Aceh ke pelabuhan Ulele (yang digunakan menyeberang ke Sabang) hanya enam kilometer -keterangan saksi, air laut masuk hingga 12 km arah kota.
- Jumlah penduduk 216,1 ribu (2003).

[andrewM]

I really don't know what to say..my deepest condolences to every one who has suffered. My prayers are with you all. I hope that all Australians will get behind and assist in any way possible all the victims of this disaster.

[lumpia]

BBC report that the official death toll in Indonesia is now over 27,000!

Indonesia: 27,174 dead
Sri Lanka: 18,706 dead
India: 4,371 dead
Thailand: 1,516 dead
Somalia: 100 dead
Maldives: 52 dead
Malaysia: 44 dead
Burma: 30 dead
Tanzania: 10 dead
Seychelles: 3 dead
Bangladesh: 2 dead
Kenya: 1 dead

In Aceh, as first contact with communities and towns in western Aceh is made, as many as HALF the population of the town of Meulaboh is feared dead, and that as many as 47,000 may be closer to the real death toll in Indonesia alone!

My heart cries out to the victims and their families! :(

[hypermount]

- Indonesia: At least 30,000 people were killed, all on Sumatra island, the Health Ministry said. It said this figure did not include districts on Sumatra's hard-hit western coast, meaning the final death toll will almost certainly rise significantly.

- Sri Lanka: Some 21,715 killed in government and rebel controlled areas. More than 1 million people were displaced.

- India: The Home Ministry said 4,413 deaths have been confirmed, but the toll was expected to climb: A police official said 8,000 people were missing and possibly dead in India's remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands, located just north of Sumatra; so far, 90 deaths from the archipelago were among the ministry count.

- Thailand: The government said 1,516 people died, among them more than 700 tourists.

- Somalia: At least 110 killed, said Ali Abdi Awaare, environment minister of the semiautonomous region Puntland. A presidential spokesman earlier said hundreds were killed without giving an exact figure.

- Myanmar: About 90 people were killed, according to reports compiled by international aid agencies.

- Malaysia: At least 65 people, including an unknown number of foreign tourists, were dead, according to official reports.

- Maldives: At least 52 people were confirmed dead.

- Tanzania: At least 10 people, mostly swimmers, said Alfred Tibaigana, police commander in Dar es Salaam.

- Seychelles: Three killed.

- Bangladesh: Two killed.

- Kenya: 1

AP's more accurate...malaysia's stood at 65.

[laba-laba]

sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad...

im lost my friends...

[macgyver]

All,
Please if you have the autority of any websites, blog, forum etc. etc.
Be part of " Indonesia Berduka " Campaign ....... by putting one of these banners below

http://www.airputih.or.id/images/nad.gif
http://www.airputih.or.id/images/nad1.gif
http://www.airputih.or.id/images/aceh02.gif
http://www.airputih.or.id/images/aceh03.gif


p.s.

David , can you arrange with jan to put one of these banners on skyscrapercity forum ? thanks

[sanhen]

errr.. in english?

[Medan01]

I just saw the first amateur video out of Banda Aceh on SKYNews here - it was so scary - the flood water was coming in at such a high speed and high volume.

The death toll is now at 67,000 with Indonesia alone at 32,500 and still climbing since the west coast of Sumatra is not yet counted.

Number of death toll is expected to increase in Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand as well.

When will we see the end of it?

[Medan01]

sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad... sad...

im lost my friends...


laba laba, my sympathy goes out to you and to all of you who lost someone in this tragedy. My parents also lost a lot of friends in this tragedy. It is indeed a very sad day for all of us, Indonesian and Asian.

[Jai]

Hi guys

Can you please help me compile a list of Indonesian charities aiding the relief efforts? Perhaps we can start a thread, similar to the one in the Indian forum (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=2891786), here.

[huaiwei]

Read in the BBC that an entire army battalion was wiped out in Aceh. Any news from the local media on this?

The way the figures are skyrocketing day after day....it is numbing my senses....

[rj2uman]

Yes it's crazy the magnitude of thousands and thousands of miles of coastline that have been irrevocably been altered.

[lumpia]

really, my heart breaks for all those affected by this tragedy! :( The emphasis now is to send aid, and wer to give it...

[teddybear]

I am not against donation, but I learn many times that many donations are not given to those in really needed. The Indonesian government is just so corrupt, they take the contributions for themselves. I hope this time will not happen, but I am afraid it will, as usual!

Most of the people suffering in the third world countries, they are defending their fate themselves, the government usually do little or corrupt the contributions given by foreign countries... Very sad indeed.

I am not saying this applies to India, Sri Lanka, etc., but I just said that this is true in the case of Indonesian government and other bad government.

[Yamauchi]

You can donate to the Red Cross or other NGOs rather than the Indonesian government. They have no control over those funds.

[macgyver]

Hi guys

Can you please help me compile a list of Indonesian charities aiding the relief efforts? Perhaps we can start a thread, similar to the one in the Indian forum (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=2891786), here.


http://www.airputih.or.id

http://www.airputih.or.id

[macgyver]

You can donate to the Red Cross or other NGOs rather than the Indonesian government. They have no control over those funds.

Agreed ... Many Indonesian NGO .... PAHE, MER-C , ... I'll post the list ...

[macgyver]

[ I WILL Translate it in ENglish ... and post it ... in a few minutes ]


Berikut daftar kebutuhan di Aceh.

1. Bantuan JANGAN berupa bahan pangan yang masih harus diolah termasuk mi instan, karena di sana tidak ada air bersih dan sarana untuk memasak. Yang amat sangat dibutuhkan adalah MAKANAN BAYI (bukan susu formula, krn inipun membutuhkan campuran air bersih yang sangat langka). Biskuit bayi dan produk siap makan (seperti produk gerber,nestle dkk) akan sangat menolong. Susu cair dalam kemasan / UHT juga akan sangat membantu. (INTINYA MAKANAN SIAP MAKAN)

2. Bantuan Non Pangan, saat ini prioritasnya adalah :
- kantong mayat
- karbol / disinfektan
- masker
karena kondisi mayat membusuk yang bergelimpangan di mana-mana sudah membuat sesak nafas dan apabila tidak segera dievakuasi / diisolasi dikhawatirkan akan menimbulkan wabah penyakit, khususnya Kolera.

3. Bantuan non-pangan lain yang juga masih amat jarang & amat sangat berharga adalah
- kain kafan / sepre besar
- selimut
- pakaian dalam (khususnya wanita)
- kain sarung
- botol susu & dot bayi untuk bayi-bayi yang baru lahir

4. Untuk obat-obatan, peralatan medis & sanitasi harap berkoordinasi dengan DepKes dan LSM Kesehatan supaya bisa tepat guna.

Detail kebutuhan lainnya:

1. Obat-obatan

flu/batuk/demam: decolsin capsul, mixagrip, obh combi, obh combi plus untuk dewasa dan anak2, vick formula 44 utk dewasa dan anak2, new
babt couch syrup, termorex, alphamol, flukol forte, inza, procold, benadryl dmp child, bodrex, bodrexin, panadol, tempra, dll obat2 diare/sakit
perut seperti: andicap, oralit, dialet, diaform, enterostop, papaverin, dll

obat2an utk luka: dansepta, kapas pembalut, alkohol, rivanol, mrecurochrome, kasa, abodine, leukoplast, betadine, ban-aid

antibiotik: amoxillin 500 mg, amoxcillin syrup kering, ampicillin syrup kering, salpenol

gatal/kulit: bedak salicyl, PK, dermal salep kulit, trimadan krim, genoint salep kulit, nosib salep, salep kulit cap kaki tiga, salep kulit 88, daktarin, bedak

herocyn, ikamicetine, fluocinonide ointment, kalpanax, isodine oinment, kemicetine, dll.

lambung: antasida, decolid, cimetidine 200 mg, ranitidine 150 mg, promag

obat gosok: minyak kayu putih, balsam, balpirik, munyak angin

obat lain2/vitamin: vit b kompleks, vit c, vit c drop, vit b1, trisulfa, oxifrot, ctm, aciclovir, captopril, cumachol, rexibet 2, dexamethasone, sulfaferrosus, aminophyline, reserpine, pyridoxine, prednison, frisium, inoprilate, incidal-od, erlamicetin, kalmethason, dextromethorphan tablet, furasemide, tetracyclin 250

2. Logistik

* Susu kental manis dan bubuk
* Gula, Kopi
* Mie
* Beras
* Vitamin2
* Minuman suplemen
* paket P3K

3. Peralatan Komunikasi
- HT, telepon satelit dan koneksi internet (GPRS atau VSAT sekalian)
- Notebook

4. Lain-lain
- Selimut
- Kasur
- Baju
- Sandal
- Kain kafan
- Batere
- Accu
- Kain Kafan

SDM:

1. SAR, asli orang yg paham SAR.
2. Logistik, memahami pembagian dan kebutuhan logistik korban.
3. Media, untuk membantu updating berita dan bagian angkat2.
4. Teknisi komunikasi

[macgyver]

Berikut daftar kebutuhan di Aceh.

1. Bantuan JANGAN berupa bahan pangan yang masih harus diolah termasuk mi instan, karena di sana tidak ada air bersih dan sarana untuk memasak. Yang amat sangat dibutuhkan adalah MAKANAN BAYI (bukan susu formula, krn inipun membutuhkan campuran air bersih yang sangat langka). Biskuit bayi dan produk siap makan (seperti produk gerber,nestle dkk) akan sangat menolong. Susu cair dalam kemasan / UHT juga akan sangat membantu. (INTINYA MAKANAN SIAP MAKAN)

[ Aid Not the food that need to be cooked include instant noodle , please food that can be eat instantly, there are no clean water and utensil to cook. The most needed is BABY FOOD ( not milk cream since this also need clean water which is not available ). Baby Biscuit/Cookies dan Readily eat FOOD ( Gerber product, nestle, danone etc etc ... the like ) will be very helpfull. Water milk / Canned-milk/milk in the bottle like .... UHT, Susu Bendera etc. the like ]

2. Bantuan Non Pangan, saat ini prioritasnya adalah :
- kantong mayat
- karbol / disinfektan
- masker
karena kondisi mayat membusuk yang bergelimpangan di mana-mana sudah membuat sesak nafas dan apabila tidak segera dievakuasi / diisolasi dikhawatirkan akan menimbulkan wabah penyakit, khususnya Kolera.

[ Non Food , the priority right now ]
- Corpse plastic
- carbol / desinfectant
- masker

3. Bantuan non-pangan lain yang juga masih amat jarang & amat sangat berharga adalah
- kain kafan / sepre besar
- selimut
- pakaian dalam (khususnya wanita)
- kain sarung
- botol susu & dot bayi untuk bayi-bayi yang baru lahir

Other non-Food Aid ....
- Kain Kafan ( white clothes fabric .... mori/cotton ..... for moslem burial )
- Blanket
- Underwear ( especially for women )
- Sarong .....
- Bottle for newly-born baby

4. Untuk obat-obatan, peralatan medis & sanitasi harap berkoordinasi dengan DepKes dan LSM Kesehatan supaya bisa tepat guna.

Detail kebutuhan lainnya:

1. Obat-obatan [ Medicine ]

[ for Flu, Cough, Fever ]
flu/batuk/demam: decolsin capsul, mixagrip, obh combi, obh combi plus untuk dewasa dan anak2, vick formula 44 utk dewasa dan anak2, new
babt couch syrup, termorex, alphamol, flukol forte, inza, procold, benadryl dmp child, bodrex, bodrexin, panadol, tempra, dll obat2 diare/sakit
perut seperti: andicap, oralit, dialet, diaform, enterostop, papaverin, dll

[ for body trauma / accident ]
obat2an utk luka: dansepta, kapas pembalut, alkohol, rivanol, mrecurochrome, kasa, abodine, leukoplast, betadine, ban-aid

[ Anti Biotic ]
antibiotik: amoxillin 500 mg, amoxcillin syrup kering, ampicillin syrup kering, salpenol

[ SKin and Icth ]
gatal/kulit: bedak salicyl, PK, dermal salep kulit, trimadan krim, genoint salep kulit, nosib salep, salep kulit cap kaki tiga, salep kulit 88, daktarin, bedak

herocyn, ikamicetine, fluocinonide ointment, kalpanax, isodine oinment, kemicetine, dll.


lambung: antasida, decolid, cimetidine 200 mg, ranitidine 150 mg, promag

[ warming medicine , cajuput ]
obat gosok: minyak kayu putih, balsam, balpirik, munyak angin

[vitamin ]
obat lain2/vitamin: vit b kompleks, vit c, vit c drop, vit b1, trisulfa, oxifrot, ctm, aciclovir, captopril, cumachol, rexibet 2, dexamethasone, sulfaferrosus, aminophyline, reserpine, pyridoxine, prednison, frisium, inoprilate, incidal-od, erlamicetin, kalmethason, dextromethorphan tablet, furasemide, tetracyclin 250

2. Logistik [ Logictics ]

* Susu kental manis dan bubuk [ Full cream milk ]
* Gula, Kopi [ sugar, caffee]
* Mie [ noodles]
* Beras [ rice]
* Vitamin2 [ vitamin]
* Minuman suplemen [ drink suplement ]
* paket P3K [ first aid kit ]

3. Peralatan Komunikasi [ communication Eqp. ]
- HT, telepon satelit dan koneksi internet (GPRS atau VSAT sekalian) [ Handy=Talkie, Portable mobile, including the antenna eqp. internet connection ]
- Notebook [ notebook ]

4. Lain-lain [ others ]
- Selimut [ blanket]
- Kasur [ bed... sleeping bag etc. ]
- Baju [ shrt ]
- Sandal [ sandals]
- Kain kafan [ white fabric clothes ]
- Batere [ baterei ]
- Accu [ accu ]
- Kain Kafan

SDM: [ Human resources ]

1. SAR, asli orang yg paham SAR. [ Search and Rescue aware person ]
2. Logistik, memahami pembagian dan kebutuhan logistik korban. [ logistics ]
3. Media, untuk membantu updating berita dan bagian angkat2. [ media people ]
4. Teknisi komunikasi [ telecommunication technician ]

[hypermount]

Read in the BBC that an entire army battalion was wiped out in Aceh. Any news from the local media on this?

The way the figures are skyrocketing day after day....it is numbing my senses....

Thai navy base in andaman also kena.. siao

[macgyver]

Informasi Alamat Kontak Penting

APJII (POSKO Bantuan):
Cyber Building Lt. 11
Jl. Kuningan Barat No. 8 Jakarta 12710
Telp: 021- 5296 0634, Fax: 021-5296 0635
Direct Contact:
Heru Nugroho (08888000263) email: hn@melsa.net.id
Sugeng Wibowo (0815-1157-1393) email: sugeng@gen.net.id
Edwardo Rusfid (0856-7860897) email: edo@myindo.net
Ahmad Khalil Alkazimy (081316085757 email:ahmad@apjii.or.id)
Fuad(0815 7879 1117 email:fuad@apjii.or.id)
Ferry (0818710744 email: ferry@apjii.or.id)
info rekening:

Rekening BCA


Rekening Bank Mandiri
Atas nama: Yayasan Sekolah2000
no Rekening : 587-007222-0
CAPEM Pembangunan Atas nama: Sugeng Wibowo
no Rekening : 1440004156979

Posko PSN
PASTI : 0868 1212 8075 & 0868 1212 8076
BYRU : 0868 1900 1025 & 0868 1900 0491
Contact Person: Gandi

Pos Media Center Menko Kesra
1. Heru Martono: 0811 902 623
2. I Nyoman Meweh: 0812 801 4096
3. Hadri Pasaribu: 0813 105 92029
4. I Rosdiawan: 0818 816 442

Posko Penanggulanggan Bencana - NAD
0868 - 1212 8638, 1212 8645, 1212 8646, 1212 7854

Kadis ops Lanud Polonia
0811 654 595

Humas Menko Kesra, Pak Dida
021 3453289

Najwa syihab - Metro TV
0868 1900 8000

Satkorlak Aceh, Kolonel Yardi
0811689699

Satkorlak Medan, Pak Tabrani
0812910644 dan 061 77814162

Kantor Humas Penanggulangan Bencana Alam
061-4566524

Palang Merah Indonesia (Indonesian Red Cross)
Rekening untuk rakyat Aceh
Bank BCA Menara Bidakara a.n. Kantor Pusat Palang Merah Indonesia no. 450.666.0009
Contact person: -Irman Rachman (Kepala Divisi Penanggulangan Bencana): 0811 1956 377
-Ibu Aswi Nugroho: 0811 - 918034; 021-799 2325 ext.221 / 201
-distribution technical : Rukman 0812 876 6781




Pos di Lanud Halim Perdana Kusumah
1. Andi Nasir: 0813 111 30057
2. Suarmansyah: 0813 152 25535
3. Setia Ediningsih: 0812 101 2660
4. Edi Sularto: 0813 105 52306

Posko Nasional di Medan: 061 - 456 6524

Bantuan Internasional
1. Dody Budiatman (staf ahli): 0818 830 076
2. Siti Rahayu: 0812 826 7594

Posko Mencari Informasi Keluarga
Media Center Puspen TNI
021 - 84595575 dan 84595576

Media Center Satgas Info TNI - Lhok Seumawe
0645 - 630935 dan 630525

Posko Bantuan Angkut Sosial Mabes TNI
Lanud Halim Perdanakusuma : 021 - 8019035

Wartawan MetroTV Denny Setiawan Batubara [dennysb@yahoo.com]
Humas Penanggulangan Bencana Alam, Posko Pusat Edy Sofyan, 0811618910
Info Kontak untuk Bantuan Logistik:
Ahmad Suwandi (08159005631)

Bantuan untuk korban bencana gempa dan tsunami di Aceh dan Sumatra
Utara dapat disalurkan melalui:

1. Indosiar
Rek. BCA atas nama Indosiar: 001 - 304 - 0009
2. RCTI
Rek. BCA atas nama RCTI: 128 - 300 -7000
3. Koordinator Kesra RI
Rek. atas nama Kepala Biro Umum bidang Kesra
Nama: I Nyoman Meweh
Rek. BNI Cab Harmoni: 07 000 311 2717 911
4. Posko Bantuan di Halim Perdanakusuma dan Kantor Kesra
5. No. telepon perkembangan di Medan: 061 - 456 6524
6. Metro tv
Rek. BCA atas nama metro tv: 309 - 300 - 7979
7. SCTV
Rek. BCA atas nama Pundi Amal SCTV no. 084 - 266 - 2000

Juga mungkin bisa disalurkan langsung ke Bulan Sabit Merah Indonesia (BSMI).
Silahkan disalurkan melalui :
Jl. Dewi Sartika No. 17 Cililitan Jakarta Timur
Telp./Fax. 021-8088 9686
Bank Syariah Mandiri
Jatinegara
no. rek. 0660000885
an. Bulan Sabit Merah

Crisis Center BSMI Jakarta untuk Aceh.
Ady Supratikto : 08151650079
Tim BSMI : Telp/Fax. 021 80889686 :weirdo:

[Jai]

Thanks macgyver

Please also post links to the websites of these groups.

I would think that the Red Crescent would focus relief eforts in Indo as well?

[Yamauchi]

http://www.palangmerah.org/ - Official Website for the Indonesia Red Cross Society (they're in Aceh as you can see on the front page)

You can donate to them the same way you donate to any other, here: http://www.ifrc.org/helpnow/donate/donate_response.asp

[macgyver]

INdonesia Red Cross : http://www.palangmerah.org/
MER-C FOundation : http://www.mer-c.org/
Indonesia Red-Crescent : BSMI ( Bulan Sabit Merah Indonesia )
..... no Website yet ...

====== BSMI =====================================
No Rekening : 0660000885 - Bank Syariah Mandiri -
Jatinegara Jakarta
A\n. Bulan Sabit Merah Indonesia.

Sekretariat BSMI : Jl. Dewi Sartika no. 17 Cililitan
- Jakarta Timur
Telp/Fax. 021 80889686

No. Rekening : 7660128420
BCA - KCP Setiabudi Atrium
A.N. ADY SUPRATIKTO

Crisis Center BSMI Jakarta untuk Aceh.
Ady Supratikto : 08151650079
Tim BSMI : Telp/Fax. 021 80889686
================================= BMSI ========

[huaiwei]

Thai navy base in andaman also kena.. siao
You got the entire naval base and the navy personal there being destroyed to nothingness ah?

[macgyver]

http://img53.exs.cx/img53/5682/kapal17uf.jpg

http://img53.exs.cx/img53/8072/mayatsungai13zu.jpg

[macgyver]

http://img154.exs.cx/img154/2879/image0019tz.jpg
http://img154.exs.cx/img154/3076/image0020tu.jpg
http://img154.exs.cx/img154/1998/image0031jx.jpg
http://img154.exs.cx/img154/1998/image0031jx.jpg
http://img154.exs.cx/img154/3596/image0054gw.jpg
http://img154.exs.cx/img154/6492/image0062sx.jpg
http://img154.exs.cx/img154/4318/image0070iz.jpg
http://img154.exs.cx/img154/3370/image0082mz.jpg
http://img154.exs.cx/img154/3070/image0098xh.jpg

[macgyver]

errr.. in english?


http://www.airputih.or.id/images/aceh05.gif http://www.airputih.or.id/images/aceh04.gif

[hypermount]

http://img150.exs.cx/img150/3801/mayatsungai11me.jpg

OH MY!!!! WHAT IS THAT??!!!!! BLOATED BODIES ALL OVER THE PLACE. IS THAT FROM ACEH???!!!

[teddybear]

magyver, could not see the previous 2 pictures. But the latest series of pictures, I think is not the tsunami in Indonesia, but a strong wave somewhere in China... I saw the pictures previously.

[David-80]

Guys, if you're in Indonesia and want to be a volunteer, you can go to metro tv and ask for it.

I have my volunteer id and I am going to sabang tomorrow for few days to help asses the damage.

All you need to do is preparing with your health certificate, says that youre healthy and no mental disorder. Your skills certificate and anything you can provide with them.


Anyway, I would rather spend my time and effort rather than money, as money would be difficult to distribute among the victims family, looking from the current situation.

Oh and you need to get your own roundtrip ticket and food while you're there

Mac, contact me if you interested, you got my number rite?

Cheers

[chicagogeorge]

Very disturbing casualty estimate made by the ambassador of Indonesia to Malaysia

http://drudgereport.com/flash5.htm

[Jheef]

Ho My God....
Receive my condolences from Colombia.

[teddybear]

Thanks chicagogeorge. Very disturbing indeed. But wonder why Indonesia has not sent fuel for this relief effort? Indonesia is an oil producing country and I believe they can send fuel...

[ryanprima]

Thanks chicagogeorge. Very disturbing indeed. But wonder why Indonesia has not sent fuel for this relief effort? Indonesia is an oil producing country and I believe they can send fuel...

I think there is no access for the Govt to give the fuel to the area that damaged so bad in aceh

[Yamauchi]

http://img138.exs.cx/img138/18/tsunamiaftermath0wf.jpg

[sanhen]

^- Omg.

[Jheef]

HOOO MY GODDD... I can't belive... I can't :(

[chinada]

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Friday offered 500 million yuan ($60.42 million) in aid for tsunami-ravaged countries on top of $2.6 million already pledged.


Reuters
Slideshow: Asian Tsunami Disaster




China was a developing country, but was providing aid out of gratitude for relief it had received for its own disasters, Wen told diplomatic envoys from tsunami-hit South and Southeast Asian countries at Beijing's Zhongnanhai leadership compound.


At a little over $63 million, Beijing is now the third biggest monetary donor behind Britain and Sweden. The United States has made an initial pledge of $35 million.


"The Chinese people are very concerned about the sudden disaster and we have deepest sympathy for the people affected," the premier said.


"The people who have been affected are in our minds and in our hearts," Wen said. "On behalf of the Chinese government and people and President Hu Jintao and myself, I would like to express our consolation to the disaster-hit people and our condolences to the families of those who died in the disaster."


The death toll from the tsunami, triggered by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake off Indonesia on Sunday, rose to more than 126,000 on Friday in the 13 countries.


"What is particularly encouraging is that the assistance was swift, it was unsolicited and it was timely," said Sri Lankan Ambassador Nihal Rodrigo, whose country posted a death toll of more than 28,500 with over 5,000 missing and almost 890,000 people displaced.


China decided to increase aid at a meeting of the foreign, finance, commerce and health ministries, the seismological bureau and the People's Liberation Army on Wednesday. Chinese medical and search teams are on standby.


China, until recently a major recipient of foreign aid, had earlier said there was only so much it could do as a developing country.


Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said on Thursday the initial pledge of 21.63 million yuan ($2.6 million) was equivalent to the annual income of 20,000 Chinese farmers.


As a developing country with a population of 1.3 billion and a low per capita GDP (news - web sites), China was providing aid within its power, Liu said.


The official Xinhua news agency has said more than 70 Chinese tourists were missing.


China Southern Airlines has airlifted food, medicine and clothing to Sri Lanka, Xinhua said.


The tourism bureau has warned tourists against traveling to tsunami-hit countries.

[ncik]

err.. is it just me or in all the pictures being posted, all the people who are dead are facing downwards for some reason? scary!

[Suncity]

That picture is so shocking and heart wrenching.

We all wish all nations hit by this disaster a prompt and safe recovery.

This is the time to help everyone out.

The way all the nations are coming out to help each other is amazing. May this spirit survive forever.

[JAG2]

is devastating and horrible. seeing those dead people lying there.

[Mantas]

God damn how horrible :ohno: I hope nobody of our forum died there :(

[Sergei]

OMG! I can't believe those pictures. That's SO horrible.
WOW. :cry: My condolences for Asia. :(

[km-sh]

Currently donators:
(million US dollars)

African alliance 0.10
Algeria 2.00
Australia 27.00
Austria 1.40
UK 96.00
Canada 33.00
China 63.00
Chinese Taiwan region 5.25
Denmark 15.60
EU 40.81
Finland 3.40
France 56.18
Germany 2.72
Hungary 0.27
Ireland 2.72
Italy 4.08
Japan 30.00
Kuwait 2.10
Holland 34.00
New Zealand 3.60
Norway 16.53
Poland 0.33
Portugal 10.88
Qatar 25.00
Saudi Arabia 10.00
Singapore 3.10
Slovak 0.23
Slovenia 0.11
Korea 5.00
Sweden 80.00
Switzerland 23.81
Turkey 1.25
United Arab Emirates 2.00
The United States 35.00
Venezuela 2.00

[km-sh]

SO horrible.I can't believe

[Istanbullu]

Very big tragedy! :(

[Bunny]

Oh Yamauchi that pic is too horrible, the bodies...oh...
I can't go to new year parties and countdowns because I feel so guilty that we are having fun and people in South Asia is losing their parents or children in just a few seconds!
I would go to donation shows rather~

[Suncity]

That picture is really kind of sad. Heartwrenching. Shows the enormity of the tragedy.

[Yamauchi]

US government has pledged $350 million. Amazon and Yahoo have collected around $15 million for the Red Cross. The world is coming together to help, and it shouldn't be long until around $2 billion has been given towards relief and rebuilding.

[Medan01]

More horrible pictures from Banda Aceh....Notice how the first floor of this housing block was gone from the quake.
http://img129.exs.cx/img129/8969/dscf25448xb.jpg

And how this fishing boat parked in front of the hotel 6 km inland from the sea
http://img42.exs.cx/img42/1318/dscf25508ra.jpg

Looks like a lot of victims in ACEH were also from the quake as well as from the wave.

http://img127.exs.cx/img127/8783/dscf25659rn.jpg

And these were taken on the 27th of December in Banda Aceh - the city was still flooded then
http://img103.exs.cx/img103/2213/picture32fc.jpg

[Medan01]

Last night at Sydney harbour, 1 minute of silence was observed to honor the victims of this tragedy. Fund in the amount of 1 Million AUS$ was also raised from all who attended the fireworks. The mood was quite somber.

Australia so far has pledged US$ 60M to the tragedy. US$ 25M will be going to Indonesia alone. A lot of private fund raising activities are happening here in Australia.

[Medan01]

A 6.5 aftershock struck again this afternoon (January 1, 2005) at around 1:10 pm local west Indonesian time. This was the 2nd one in less than 24 hours. A 5.4 aftershock struck at around 8:40pm last night (December 31, 2004).

Imagine the trauma that the people in Aceh is having now. I learned somewhere that tsunami might be possible for any quake after 6.

[kota16]

The Australian public have donated $50m to the tsunami appeal so far, and this will probably double. Also the Australian Govt has donated $60m and this will increase. Australia will play a big role in helping in this time of crisis.

[Jheef]

Hi.. :wave:

What is the population of Aceh??

[Yamauchi]

About 4.3 million.

[Isan]

http://www.newsindia-times.com/2005/01/07/main1.jpg

[stu1300]

ok

[peseg5]

OMG, Look at these pics and its surroundings... :eek2:

http://img129.exs.cx/img129/9505/acehajaib0fk.jpg

http://img129.exs.cx/img129/758/acehajaib23rq.jpg

http://img129.exs.cx/img129/470/acehajaib34as.jpg

[teddybear]

This is a unique time presented to Indonesian Government. I do not against donation for humanitarian effort. But very sadly, Indonesian government never take care of their people but continue misused the fund contributed to them. Disaster after disaster, the help received from the Indonesian government is little, if any, of very poor quality.

In many or all cases, the people afflicted with disaster has to settle with poor condition and help from Indonesian government. And in this case, I do not think there will be much different.

In this time also, I believe the Indonesian government got the chance to corrupt again. Very sad. I check that foreign exchange reserve that Indonesia has, enough to fund and help the victim. Indonesia also is oil producing country, it should be able to help its citizen!!

[Alvin]

Hi all, this disaster has affected my holiday in Hongkong...and OMG, the first time i've seen those gross pictures of bodies stacked against bodies posted by Yamauchi! didn't see them in BBC or CNN!

My deep condolences for all the victims of this terrible tragedy.

[Yamauchi]

Indonesia is a net oil-importing nation. Many people are angry about the gradual phasing out of fuel subsidies, a luxury that practically every other developing nation around the world does not have the luxury of having. If the Indonesian people are not willing to sacrafice, there is no way the government can improve. Indonesia is now fully democratic, and to criticize the government is to criticize the people.

[teddybear]

fully democratic? more democratic probably, but not really democratic yet. I have sacrificed many times, but not via the government. Direct to the people who need it.

[sanhen]

Bandung Institure of Technology has some models, pics and articles regarding this tsunami from their Tsunami simulator (in indonesian, slow server blahblahblah).

http://www.ppk.itb.ac.id/aceh/

[sanhen]

"Aceh IT-Media Center" Website, a medium to channel all concerns and support to the Aceh Earthquake/Tsunami Victims and Survivors is available:

Indonesian version here:
http://www.acehmediacenter.or.id/id/

English version here:
http://www.acehmediacenter.or.id/en/

[JAG2]

Hopefully mr Suharto gives a more than generous donation , if he really cares because he has billions of dollars wich belongs to the Indonesian people now he has the opportunity to do something good.

[Barsby]

My heart goes out to those effected in, Banda Aceh - Indonesia, and the rest of the countries that have been devasted by this terrible natural disaster, including, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Maldives, Myanmar, Tanzania, Somalia, Seychelles, Bangladesh and Kenya. To all the victims of this tragedy, may they all Rest in Peace, and to any survivors, may they get well and prosper. This event will not only effect the entire Asian region, but it will effect the rest of the world, which is why we must band together and give whatever we can to help those in need in this terrible time.

We Will Remember Them.

[sanhen]

Hopefully mr Suharto gives a more than generous donation , if he really cares because he has billions of dollars wich belongs to the Indonesian people now he has the opportunity to do something good.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
:)

[akegood]

On behalf of the Thai citizen, we share the same sadness and hope we can overcome this situation as fast as we can.....Live & Learn

[Isan]

An aerial view taken from a U.S. Navy helicopter assigned to Carrier Air Wing Two (CVW-2) shows the devastated coastal region near Aceh, Sumatra, in Indonesia in the wake of the tsunami, January 4, 2005. Hungry and filthy, thousands of Indonesians lined up for water on Tuesday as aid deliveries to tsunami-ravaged Aceh province hit new snags and cases of disease and infection among survivors emerged. In total, more than 94,000 people were killed by the tsunami in Aceh, a province of about four million at the northern tip of the island of Sumatra, making up two thirds of the total known toll from the Indian Ocean disaster of about 145,000. Picture taken January 3, 2005. EDITORIAL USE ONLY REUTERS/U.S. Navy/Tyler J. Clements/Handout http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20050104/s/r285738070.jpg

[Alvin]

Indonesia's Tsunami Toll Reaches 113,000; Aceh Aid Hampered

Jan. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Indonesia's death toll from the Dec. 26 tsunami reached 113,000 as the United Nations said relief operations in Aceh are hampered by the destruction of roads in the province in northern Sumatra.

The Indonesian Social Welfare Ministry today revised the death toll from 94,260. The UN said its efforts to reach survivors in Sumatra are facing ``enormous problems.''

``The lack of access by road is a key problem aid agencies face in the northern part and western part of Aceh,'' Chris Lom, an Aceh-based spokesman for the International Organization for Migration, said today. Aceh, lying nearest the epicenter of the magnitude-9 earthquake that caused the tsunami, is a ``roadless'' area, said UN Emergency Coordinator Jan Egeland.

Leaders from Asia, Europe and the U.S., at a summit yesterday in Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, agreed to the UN coordinating the international recovery operation. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan asked for almost $1 billion of emergency funds to aid South Asian and East African nations hit by the tsunami. The leaders also agreed to build a tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean.

The relief operation isn't ``even close to having any figures of how many people died, how many people are missing and how many people are severely affected'' in Sumatra, Egeland said yesterday in New York. Indonesia is the worst-hit country. Sri Lanka's known death toll is 30,527.

Bridges Gone

In the town of Meulaboh in Aceh, where thousands are waiting for aid, 99 percent of the bridges are gone and 60 percent of asphalt roads are awash with mud, Lom said.

``The waves essentially came in and took out the infrastructure,'' Lom said. ``Places like Meulaboh are now accessible only by helicopters and sea. Helicopters are airdropping aid into the region now. But that's not a long-term solution because it costs $2,500 a hour to keep a helicopter in the air. The seas are very rough, making it tough for ships to deliver aid.''

The relief operation, with the exception of Sumatra, will soon be able to provide blankets, tents, food and water to victims in other countries such as Sri Lanka, Thailand and India, Egeland said.

The number of deaths caused by the tsunami ``could easily be'' 200,000 people, Margareta Wahlstrom, a UN special coordinator assigned to the post-tsunami disaster relief effort, said yesterday in Jakarta.

Aid Pledged

Aid pledges rose to almost $5 billion, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday in Jakarta. The European Union later said it might offer a further 450 million euros ($593 million). The U.S. House and Senate unanimously passed legislation yesterday that will allow Americans who donate cash this month to claim a charitable tax deduction on their 2004 tax returns, rather than waiting until next year. President George W. Bush must sign the bill for it to become law.

Annan yesterday called for $977 million to help with sanitation, shelter and other emergency relief, in a speech at the Jakarta summit.

The World Food Program dispatched more than 400 truckloads of foodstuffs to Sri Lanka, enough for 490,000 people for 15 days. A plane arrived yesterday in Male, capital of the Maldives, with 37 metric tons of food and eight metric tons of bleaching powder used for water purification.

The program has delivered 218 tons of foods to 12,000 people in Somalia, along a 300-mile stretch of coastline.

Farming, Fishing

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization yesterday asked for $26 million to revive the farming and fishing industries in the region. The plan is to distribute $10 million in seeds and tools to 25,000 farmers in Indonesia, and nets, boats and other fishing equipment to 25,000 fishermen. The organization plans to do the same in Sri Lanka, with $10 million in aid, and in the Maldives, with $2 million.

Creditor nations have offered debt relief to the disaster zone. Japan said yesterday it will let Indonesia and other tsunami-stricken nations freeze payment on about $65 billion of debt. Its decision came after the U.K. backed a proposal by France and Germany to halt $3 billion a year of debt payments from the countries affected.



To contact the reporters on this story:
Naila Firdausi in Jakarta at nfirdausi@bloomberg.net; Le-Min Lim in Jakarta at
or lmlim@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Paul Tighe at ptighe@bloomberg.net.

[huaiwei]

Jan 4, 2005

A lifeline into Meulaboh ...finally

SAF team builds two landing points to allow heavy equipment to clear a path inland

By Salim Osman In Meulaboh, Aceh and David Boey, Aboard The Rss Endurance, Off Meulaboh

SINGAPORE Armed Forces engineers achieved a major breakthrough yesterday afternoon when they established two landing points at the coastal town of Meulaboh, which has been cut off since the undersea earthquake and tsunami struck on Dec 26.

As the first excavator rolled onto the beach from the RSS Endurance, Indonesian Social Services Minister Bachtiar Chamsyah, in charge of the relief efforts in Meulaboh, expressed his country's gratitude to Singapore for its swift humanitarian aid.

He said: 'When I got word that this ship had anchored off the shores of Meulaboh, I informed Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi who, in turn, informed President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

'The President was delighted.'

RSS Endurance, a helicopter landing ship, arrived on Jan 2 with 470 personnel and heavy equipment such as bulldozers, mechanical shovels and forklifts, which are vital in paving the way for relief supplies to reach remote areas in this town of 40,000, which has lost about 5,000 people.

The establishment of the landing site was important as the undersea earthquake had moved the coastline of northern Sumatra, which was closest to the quake's epicentre.

The SAF said in a statement yesterday: 'The heavy equipment is urgently needed to clear roads, and possibly prepare landing strips for aircraft.'

Mr Bachtiar, who visited the Endurance yesterday, said the heavy equipment was vital 'because our transport facilities have been destroyed'.

'We can't bring equipment from Medan or Banda Aceh because road links to this town have been cut off,' he said, referring to Sumatra's two main cities that bore the brunt of the disaster, which has killed an estimated 100,000 in Indonesia.

Also, only one concrete jetty can be used at Meulaboh. But this landing spot cannot accommodate heavy vehicles as it is broken in places and structurally unsound.

Further in, desolation and despair were palpable. The town was a shamble of wrecked wooden huts, with scores of bridges downed and fishing boats tossed 6km inland.

The smell of death still hangs over the city's streets. In the market district, people stepped over the dead to pick pots, pans and clothes from destroyed houses.

Some places have been flattened, with just foundations of homes and businesses left standing and an occasional mosque.

Some of the devastated spots can be reached only by helicopter.

Mr Bachtiar was grateful for the two Chinook helicopters and two Super Pumas that Singapore had provided. He had flown into Meulaboh from Medan on board one of the Chinooks, which also carried 10 generators that will bring electricity to some of the 70 refugee camps.

With him on the trip were Singapore's Ambassador to Indonesia Edward Lee; North Sumatra Governor Tengku Rizal Nurdin, and other officials.

Mr Bachtiar was briefed by the commander leading Singapore's relief effort in Indonesia, Colonel Tan Chuan-Jin, on board the vessel, which arrived in Meulaboh on Sunday from Singapore with 470 personnel from the SAF, Singapore Civil Defence Force and volunteer doctors and nurses.

Speaking in Bahasa Indonesia, Col Tan said in the past five days, a Hercules C-130 transport plane had been ferrying supplies to Medan.

In Banda Aceh, a medical team is working with the city's medical personnel to treat injured survivors while two Super Puma helicopters ferry food.

These were being accomplished under the first two phases of the relief effort. The third phase involves the Endurance, whose deck had been crowded with 51 trucks, trailers and other heavy equipment. They are being moved ashore swiftly to make way for the Super Pumas to land on the warship to pick up supplies for isolated villages.

Col Tan said more equipment will be brought in when the need arises. He also said the SAF's Joint Humanitarian Assistance Task Force, from the army, navy and the air force, was keen to work with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Medan and Meulaboh.

'We understand that some of the relief workers from the NGOs may have language problems. We have liaison officers with the language skills to help them,' he added.

Earlier, on board the Endurance, the miliary faced one of its biggest challenges when it found that the coastline of north-west Sumatra had moved, some parts by as much as several hundred metres.

Said the SAF in its statement later: 'The entire shoreline of Meulaboh had changed drastically due to the tsunami and severe flooding.'

The difference became obvious soon after the divers from SAF's Naval Diving Unit scouted murky waters along the Meulaboh coastline for suitable spots for the ship's landing craft. Some of the spots they marked out with buoys were nowhere to be seen on the charts.

Manoeuvring the warship is also tricky. Lieutenant-Colonel Li Lit Siew, the warship's commanding officer, had to balance his desire to bring the ship close to shore with the need to ensure the Endurance does not venture far from deeper water.

He said: 'We want to be close to the 200m depth. According to recommendations from seismic experts, being at this depth minimises impact to the ship should a tsunami occur.'

A small team on board is on 'tsunami watch' in case aftershocks trigger more tidal surges. If so, the warship will head towards deeper water where it is safe.

This was the magnitude of the task facing the Endurance.

But once the safe routes were identified, a pair of landing craft, propelled by water jets, took the bulldozers ashore for SAF's combat engineers to clear a path inland.

Also, 45 combat engineers from the Endurance went ashore to clear the beach of obstacles and sea junk. Said Col Tan: 'One of the challenges is the lack of landing points and the danger from submerged obstacles and debris, which prevents us from projecting our assets ashore.'

Most of the work to build the landing points were done by hand because the earth-moving equipment, such as bulldozers and excavators, could not be taken ashore.

Combat engineers filled 700 sandbags to build the landing sites, and by late afternoon one landing point was ready to take a bulldozer to help the soldiers cut a path further inland.

The significance of the event was not lost on Mr Bachtiar.

Seeing the number of vehicles and the 350 pallets and crates filled with relief on board the Endurance, he said: 'Our navy doesn't have the equipment you have on your ships. But the equipment from Singapore is good equipment. It will help us solve the disaster in Meulaboh.'

[huaiwei]

Jan 4, 2005
BANDA ACEH
Singapore Armed Forces medical team helps town get back on its feet

By Azhar Ghani

BANDA ACEH - THE lone Indonesian doctor in a clinic here was so stretched in the days just after the tsunamis battered the town that she had to rope in three of her younger sisters who are not medically trained.

Dr Quratul Aini, 41, lives just behind the government clinic in Banda Aceh's Jalan Ulee Kareng. When she rushed to the clinic after Dec 26, the day the killer waves hit, she found herself all alone.

She mobilised her sisters to help out as much as they could, until three nurses returned. She still does not know what happened to the clinic's other doctors and nurses.

But since Friday, the clinic has had help from a medical team from the Singapore Armed Forces. The team of nine - three doctors, a nursing officer, five medics and two drivers - arrives each day from its base in the Banda Aceh airport to help Dr Quratul's depleted team tend to an average of 125 patients daily.

The SAF medical relief mission led by Lieutenant-Colonel Tay Boon Khai comprises 25 men and women. Included in it is a 13-strong medical team led by Lieutenant-Colonel (Dr) Fan Swee Weng. Since yesterday, a volunteer team of four - two doctors and two nurses - from Singapore's Raffles Medical Group has also been chipping in.

Dr Quratul said: 'I don't know what I would do without them. My staff and I were working ourselves into the ground in the first few days tending to people who flooded in. With everyone so hassled, it was chaotic.'

Acehnese Marwan Raja, 54, who was waiting for his wife to be treated for an infected wound on her knee, added: 'We're very grateful to the Singaporean team. Without them, most of the sick and wounded would have to wait much longer to get treatment.'

Since the arrival of the Singaporeans, the situation at the clinic has been more orderly, beginning with the setting up of a queue-number system. Patients - most of whom live in the area or are staying in the nearby shelter set up at a mosque - stream into the clinic compound after a loudspeaker announces its opening. Indonesian armed guards are stationed at the gate, both for the sake of security as well as to make sure that the daily quota of patients is strictly enforced.

Families, young children and babies in their mothers' arms can be seen streaming into the clinic throughout the day. But most patients tend to be adults requiring primary health care, said the medical team's second-in-charge, Major Chong Si Jack, 29.

The Singaporean team gets to work around 9.30am, bringing in enough medical supplies to last the day. First Warrant Officer Allan Goh, a 42-year-old paramedic who is in charge of coordinating the stores and daily set-up, said: 'We bring in fresh supplies each day to ensure that they don't fall into the wrong hands.'

There has been at least one unconfirmed report of the Free Aceh Movement separatist rebels attacking the bases of medical teams to poach their supplies. The SAF team has asked that the armed escort provided by the Indonesian army be beefed up, said Major Chong.

Of the patients, 40 per cent turn up with infected wounds, while another 10 per cent are diarrhoeal cases.

The clinic stops operating at about 3pm, but the SAF's work is far from over. Back at their base camp, they get a two-hour rest period, from 6pm to 8pm, before attending a daily briefing by mission commander Tay. After that, they pack medical supplies until about 10pm in preparation for the next day's operations.

Although there is mobile phone coverage in the airport area, where the team is based, the network gets congested fast. So Lt-Col Tay has allowed his team the use of the mission's satellite phone for calls home, said Maj Chong. He added: 'We don't know how long we'll be here, so opening up the use of the satellite phone is a very much appreciated gesture.'

In addition to the medical supplies brought by the SAF team, the team from the Raffles Medical Group, led by Dr Andre Leong, has also brought in 250kg of its own stock. Dr Leong said that the small team, which is expected to leave in a week, is serving as the organisation's eye on the ground. 'We'll assess the sort of supplies or aid needed and feed back home,' he added.

His team is based just outside the airport grounds along with another Singaporean team from Buddhist associations Renci and Code 4. Among those in the Renci-Code 4 team is MP Ong Seh Hong, the medical director of Renci Hospital, one of the two doctors on the four-men team. They are working together with an Indonesian Buddhist organisation that has set up a relief centre providing medical services, and even food and drinks, in several tents just outside the airport grounds.

Meanwhile, Banda Aceh is slowly getting its act together. A road that leads to the coast has been largely cleared of mud and debris, allowing corpse evacuation trucks to move in. Shops that are not close to the devastated areas have opened up for business, while markets selling fresh produce are also open.

With help from the international community, including Singapore, Banda Aceh is slowly climbing back onto its feet.

[huaiwei]

More Chinook copters to boost SAF work in Indonesia

They carry more and fly farther, a boon as team knuckles down
By Goh Chin Lian

SINGAPORE'S largest ever humanitarian relief effort swelled yesterday when four more heavy-lift Chinook helicopters took off for Medan. Today, a second navy vessel and a helicopter landing ship loaded with engineering and medical equipment will set sail for Aceh.

Expected to make the biggest difference in the Singapore Armed Force's (SAF) relief operation are the Chinooks, as they can take four times more load than the medium-lift helicopters that are available in the disaster area, and they fly further.

The Banda Aceh area had no heavy-lift helicopters until Singapore sent two of them last week. They delivered the first large batches of relief supplies to Meulaboh, days after last Sunday's earthquake and tsunami destroyed the town and the land access to it.

In the week ahead, more volunteer surgeons from hospitals here are expected to beef up an SAF field clinic there, turning it into a temporary hospital.

But medical needs are still the most pressing. Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean said yesterday that SAF doctors already on the ground in Meulaboh report a situation that is 'quite desperate...from a medical point of view'. The team has treated 450 patients so far.

Mr Teo is scheduled to visit Medan, Meulaboh and Banda Aceh today to see for himself the situation in Sumatra, where Singapore has focused its relief efforts. He plans to touch base with Indonesian officials to 'make sure that what we are providing to them is helpful...to see how best we can fit in with their overall aid effort'.

'We're working hand in hand with them, as closely as possible, to see how we can leverage off each other's capabilities to bring relief as quickly as possible,' he told reporters after sending off 41 SAF officers and crew with the Chinooks at Sembawang Airbase yesterday.

Indonesian Social Affairs Minister Bachtiar Chamsyah, who is in charge of relief work in western Sumatra, and military officials have made an urgent request for more helicopters able to lift heavy loads to disaster areas, he added.

Mr Teo said the SAF is also ready to deploy two to four more medium-lift Super Puma helicopters if these are required. There are already two in Indonesia.

The United Nations has identified facilities that can operate offshore as an urgent need too, he added. This would require ships capable of supporting helicopters.

The RSS Persistence, one of the Singapore navy's largest class of vessel with a landing pad for helicopters, is expected to arrive off the coast of Meulaboh on Thursday evening. It will also deliver more engineering and medical equipment.

The RSS Endurance, another helicopter landing ship that arrived in the area on Sunday, delivered a second medical team yesterday and made 'a major breakthrough' with the Indonesian military in the afternoon by establishing a landing site - and another access route - to Meulaboh.

The Defence Ministry said the operation was difficult as the tsunami and severe flooding had changed the entire shoreline drastically.

Bulldozers and excavators were due to be unloaded yesterday. This will allow SAF engineers there to open up roads and, possibly, provide landing strips for aircraft to deliver aid.

A Norwegian Air Force C-130 transport plane, working for the International Red Cross, and the US Air Force will be using Paya Lebar Air Base as a staging point for relief work, following Singapore's offer to open up its air and naval bases for such work.

In Phuket, the two Chinooks there were due to return to Singapore yesterday, leaving behind two Super Pumas for ferrying people and supplies.

[huaiwei]

Singapore medi