Ubud, Bali and Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia - Field team members sent to Padang from Ubud, have today chartered a large commercial vessel there to deliver urgent food, supplies and equipment to hard hit locations along the west coast of Sumatra. The ship is scheduled to sail as soon as hull is full, with our team on board. Also slated to sail with this aid mission are Gung Odeck a community figure from Ubud, Bali, and Rama Surya, a leading Indonesian photographer from Padang, now resident in Bali who are flying into Padang together with more volunteer team member first thing in the morning. A.A.A.I. field team members helped initiate this remarkable disaster response action, working with the local community, and figures from the surfing, diving, and local ecotourism industries. Very special thanks and Kudos to Chris & Christina who have opened up their home / hotel as the hub for relief aid activities in the area. See : http://www.sumatransurfariis.com/quakeupdatesnew1230.html for details and photos.

Each family bucket contains essential food, health, sanitation, emergency shelter, and personal care items. These are branded goods which local people are familiar with, and can put to use immediately without any intermediation whatsoever. They were purchased in local shops by our volunteers and supporters in the community, locally, and are therefore labeled in the Indonesian language.

One in every five buckets is a “leader pack,” and its contents include a one-inch chisel, a hatchet/hammer, a shovel, a handsaw, a crowbar, nails, and other supplies.
One in every ten buckets is a “heavy leader pack,” which also includes a two-man saw and a sledge hammer.
The aid vessel is also carrying hundreds of 20 liter jerry cans.

When Schultz was asked by Petra Schneider, A.A.A.I. Director in Bali, “What are the stumbling blocks at this point between you and the stuff you need?” his reply was, succinct. “Money. We need US$10,000 in Singapore, now, for chemicals and specialized filtering equipment.” A.A.A.I.’s office in Bali has volunteers standing by in Singapore to purchase the chlorine and filters, and accompany the cargo to Padang by air, almost immediately. All that is missing is the necessary funds, in Singapore. According to Schultz, while some urgent water supply needs in stricken areas will be met by our relief teams using wells, in other locations they will use groundwater sources. Those will need more intensive treatment with chemicals and filtration. The water obtained from the wells to be cleared, and drilled may require no additional chemical treatment or filtration.

When Lee and Sam had finished their telephone report tonight, A.A.A.I. Director, Petra Schneider told them, “We are all crying here, we are so impressed, and so awed, there are no words. You guys are real heros.”

World Neighbors, an international NGO with a focus on sustainable development, has elected to channel its funding through IDEP for people in need in Sumatra.

AID DELIVERED FROM MEDAN IN COOPERATION WITH THE SUMATRAN ORANGUTAN SOCIETY/ORANGUTAN INFORMATION CENTRE The second convoy of trucks was organized on the ground by the Orangutan Information Centre (OIC), and Indonesian Friends of the Earth (WAHLI). It was accompanied by Indonesian Forestry Police and arrived safely in Banda Aceh. OIC team members on the convoy expect to stay in the Banda Aceh area for another week. They have been collecting bodies with the trucks after delivering aid shipments. Survivors are hitching rides on aid vehicles returning empty from Banda Aceh to Medan, where they have been seen begging in the streets.

THIRD TRUCK CONVOY READYING TO DEPART MEDAN. The third two-truck convoy of relief supplies from Medan to Banda Aceh is now being loaded and plans to depart at about 0400 on January 4th, with an OIC volunteer on each truck to facilitate optimal delivery of appropriate aid. No “tent cities” (refugee camps) have been seen by our teams in Medan.

ACEH AID AND AUSAID COOPERATION Monday, an AusAid cargo plane carrying emergency supplies was on the point of turning back to Jakarta having failed to identify a suitable location for landing. Upon learning of the situation, Lee Downey contacted the plane and it to land at Padang, where 15 tons of urgently needed supplies were unloaded and transferred to a fleet of private boats. These boats are now fanning out through the islands south of Sumatra.

Our volunteers coordination desk in Ubud is accepting applications for skilled field volunteers -- doctors, triage specialists, SAR techs, engineers, sanitation experts, and others – for possible postings in the field in Sumatra. Contact volunteer@idepfoundation.org