Three miracles and a capsized aid boat<\/p>\n
Catherine Wheeler, Contributor, Ubud<\/p>\n
Sumatra's tsunami, earthquakes and restless volcanoes have been a
\ndanger not only to the island's beleaguered inhabitants, but to
\nthe brave volunteers who do aid work there.<\/p>\n
On April 11, an aid ship went down off Nias Island, Sumatra.
\nThis is its story.<\/p>\n
Bali-based Yayasan IDEP planned a delivery of emergency and
\nreconstruction aid on Endless Sun, a private cargo boat. It had
\ntaken several weeks to refit the vessel and load it with supplies
\nin Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The vessel was fully loaded with aid supplies, kitchen
\nequipment, reconstruction materials and tools, three motor bikes
\nfor delivering goods on shore, and children's school supplies.<\/p>\n
Just as the boat was preparing to set sail for Aceh, a
\ndevastating earthquake hit the island of Nias. Endless Sun was
\ndiverted to deliver aid there, carrying rice, two generators, a
\nmotorbike and a replacement SSB radio set for volunteers in Nias,
\nin addition to its existing cargo.<\/p>\n
Aboard the ship was a crew of 15 from Java, Rama Surya, an
\nIndonesian volunteer, and three foreign volunteers, including
\nGary Turner and Stefan Zwada, who had already served two aid
\nmissions in Sumatra, and team leader James Bean.<\/p>\n
Endless Sun had just finished offloading a shipment of
\nemergency rice aid from the World Food Program to the village of
\nAfulu on the afternoon of April 11. The day was hot and clear,
\nwith enormous swells rolling in from the open ocean.<\/p>\n
At the shoreline, huge expanses of coral had been thrust up
\nfrom under the sea by the earthquake, bleaching in the sun.
\nKnowing the seabed would also be treacherous, the crew steered
\nslowly and carefully as they made their way out of the inlet
\nbound for Meulaboh.<\/p>\n
At about 3 p.m., Endless Sun suddenly struck an uncharted
\nreef. Broken glass and equipment flew around the deck as the
\nvessel quickly heeled heavily to starboard and lost its ability
\nto steer. Although the men could see the USS Mercy on the
\nhorizon, it was using a different radio system and the Endless
\nSun's distress calls were unheard.<\/p>\n
Pounded between two reefs by the swells, it was quickly clear
\nthat the ship would not survive. There was no time to save
\npapers, passports or money; within a few minutes of striking the
\nreef, the wooden vessel began to break up. Wearing life jackets
\nand little else, the crew and volunteers abandoned ship.<\/p>\n
They were about 700 meters from the nearest shore. Some swam,
\nothers were picked up by a local fishing boat and several made
\ntheir way ashore on the ship's life raft. All 20 men survived
\nwithout serious injury, landing singly or in groups on the banks
\nof exposed coral that blocked the beach.<\/p>\n
\"The swells were huge and some of the crew couldn't swim,\"
\nGary recalls. \"It was a miracle that no one was killed.\"<\/p>\n
The next miracle unfolded in the next few hours. As heavy seas
\npounded the newly refurbished Endless Sun to pieces, the hull
\nreleased its cargo. About 80 percent of the aid on board washed
\nashore. Carefully wrapped and sealed by volunteers in Jakarta,
\nmost of it was salvaged by the coastal community.<\/p>\n
The emergency aid was delivered after all, if somewhat
\ninformally.<\/p>\n
The shipwrecked men, shocked and sunburned, picked their way
\nbarefoot in small groups over a kilometer of exposed coral until
\nthey were able to meet up and ensure that no one was missing. But
\nthe ordeal was not over.<\/p>\n
There were no communications in the town. The team leader and
\nan Indonesian volunteer hired two local men with motorbikes to
\ntake them across Nias to Gunung Sitole for help, a grueling
\njourney along ruined roads and collapsed bridges. The rest of the
\ngroup slept on a floor in the village. There were two strong
\nearthquakes that night.<\/p>\n
The next day they left the village and walked barefoot three
\nkm to a helipad, where they were eventually evacuated to Gunung
\nSitole and still later to Sibolga. Then there was a crazy drive
\nto Medan through Sumatra's steep mountains, and a final adventure
\nof talking their way onto flights to Jakarta and Bali without
\nshoes or shirts.<\/p>\n
During the afternoon of April 12, IDEP issued a press release
\nand update with all the information it had been able to gather
\nfrom cell phone calls. Then the third miracle happened.<\/p>\n
Within days, donors pledged more than enough money to replace
\nvirtually all of IDEP's aid supplies that had been on the boat.
\nAbout US$40,000 was donated, over half by Rip Curl Australia and
\nits staff.<\/p>\n
\"Robert Wilson of Rip Curl Australia has been wonderful,\"
\ndeclared Petra Schneider, executive director of IDEP. \"The
\ncompany assisted IDEP in the very early days of the emergency
\nwhen it was the key donor to Sumber Rejeki, our first emergency
\naid ship.<\/p>\n
Again, Robert was first to come to the table when help was
\nneeded after Endless Sun was lost. Rip Curl has consistently been
\na tremendously generous and responsive donor.\"<\/p>\n
By April 19, IDEP was purchasing aid in Medan. On April 21,
\njust 10 days after the aid ship sank off Nias, the supplies were
\non their way to a community near Meulaboh, Samatiga, where IDEP
\nhas established one of its recovery projects, including a clinic,
\nsince early February.<\/p>\n
The men are safely home now, but the energy of the shipwreck
\nis still with them. They feel shaky. They have bad dreams. And
\nyet they want to go back and finish the job they started. \"I
\ndon't think there's single one of us who wouldn't go back to Aceh
\ntomorrow,\" says Stefan. \"There's still so much to be done.\"<\/p>\n
Perhaps that is the fourth miracle.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/three-miracles-and-a-capsized-aid-boat-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }