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Background
Covered in dense tropical jungle the islands of Nias and the Mentawai chain are located off the western coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. Strong currents and rough seas have isolated the islands and people have developed unique cultures connected to the forest. The islands are about 10 hours by boat from Sumatra, and people have limited access to health care and suffer malnutrition, malaria and other treatable diseases. As they are situated alongside the boundary of four tectonic plates (Indian, Australian, Sunda and Burma), earthquakes on these islands are common.
Introduction to SurfAid's E-Prep program
Keen surfers discovered the waves off Nias and Mentawai in the 1990s. Troubled by the inequity of lifestyles, one of them, Dr Jenkins, established SurfAid International to tackle health issues such as malaria, malnutrition, respiratory infection and diarrhoea.
In 2006, SurfAid started its Emergency Preparedness Program (E-Prep), Sianga Bencana, a three-year, $3.15 million community-based program sponsored by AusAID, the Australian Government’s overseas aid program. SurfAid is working in partnership with 54 communities in the region – 32 villages in Nias and 22 isolated hamlets in the Mentawai – to improve basic community knowledge of natural disasters.
Siap Siaga We are prepared
Around 1600 community volunteers were trained to react quickly and decisively in the face of earthquakes, potential tsunamis and other identified disasters such as floods, landslides and epidemics. They have learnt how to treat the wounded, evacuate people with injuries and employ basic search and rescue techniques.
Photo 1: School children are taught to get under tables and cover their heads before evacuation.
SurfAid
Photo 2: Villagers practise emergency evacuation, moving away from the danger of falling building debris.
SurfAid
Photo 3: Village elders learn about being prepared for earthquakes through comics.
SurfAid
Photo 4: Key community members were trained to respond quickly and effectively in an emergency.
SurfAid
From school children to elders, all villagers have practised procedures for high ground evacuation. A village gong system is used to sound the alarm. People know to take cover and put out their cooking fires while waiting for the signal to evacuate. Evacuation routes have been indentified, paths and bridges improved, and evacuation sites have been stocked with food and temporary housing.
‘We know we’ve got to be ready to help ourselves because who knows when help could arrive here,’ said Moses, the head of Katurai Village. ‘So our community is ready, we have enough food to live for two months if something big happens.’
The emphasis has been on communities using local and available resources. For example, communities learn how to make stretchers from bamboo and sarongs, and evacuate vulnerable pregnant women using chairs or doors.
Saving lives within a year of operation- the 2007 earthquakes
SurfAid program staff were on the ground in Mentawai villages when the two major earthquakes struck in 2007. Nearly 4000 houses were destroyed along with schools, offices and places of worship. After the first quake, many villagers ran up the hills, fearing a tsunami. It was raining and they were in the mud and darkness, without shelter.
Photo 5: Nearly 4000 houses were destroyed along with schools, offices and places of worship in the 2007 earthquake. Emergency preparation meant everyone was evacuated safely.
SurfAid
‘If the earthquake is longer than 50 seconds there is also the chance of a tsunami so the people know they need to run to higher ground along evacuation routes that they have prepared,’ said Mona Lisa, one of SurfAid’s Community Facilitators who lives in Katurai village,. ‘Being prepared means saving lives.’
‘Even though we lost our homes, we thank SurfAid because nobody lost their life,’ said Budi, head of the West Silabu sub-district, near Macaronis, where more than 90 per cent of the houses were destroyed or made uninhabitable.
Many slept up in the hills for months, only venturing into their villages by day. The continuing aftershocks were in the 5 to 6 range and happened both day and night. With no lighting, night time evacuation would have been dangerous so the villagers preferred to sleep in the hills in their temporary shelter.
SurfAid teamed up with the Indonesian Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders) Belgium, as well as providing assessment and logistical support to UNICEF.
SurfAid raised money to charter boats to deliver emergency relief. Villagers were provided with:
- building kits (shovel, hoe, pliers, sharpening stone, saw, hammer, axe, file, nail puller, crowbar, machete, assorted nails, bucket and wire)
- shelter kits (tarpaulins, 4 x 6m and 5 x 8m), plastic mat, and nylon rope)
- hygiene kits (bucket, washing brush, plastic soap case, soap (2 bars), toothbrush (5), comb (2), small towel (5), water dipper and mirror).
Conclusion
The potential for further earthquakes on Nias and the Mentawai islands is a reality. SurfAid’s E-Prep program has given the local people hope, confidence and practical skills through education and training which will help them cope in the future.
Source:
SurfAid International: http://schools.surfaidinternational.org Photos:
Kirk Wilcox
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