Crisis center helps families of Kuta victims

Rita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali

A Taiwanese man desperately searched for someone who could give him information about a compatriot missing in the Oct. 12 bomb blast in Kuta.

Eventually he bumped into a sympathetic woman.

"Come on sir, this way," said the woman, who escorted him to the Crisis Center at Sanglah Hospital. The center, manned by local volunteers, has set up a hotline service. The center was established after concerned citizens realized the extent of the lack of facilities to obtain fast information related to the tragedy.

Mardiana Ika, the volunteer coordinator, after witnessing the situation after the blast, decided to team up with friends to help the victims.

"I called my friends at the Bali Hati, the Bali International Women's Association (BIWA) and other organizations to join hands and offer emergency help," said Ika, a noted fashion designer.

A few hours after the bombing, Ika and many other volunteers gathered at the information desk at Sanglah Hospital.

"We thought it would be good to set up a hotline, or an information center, where relatives of the victims could obtain information and learn about the latest developments," she said.

After talks with the Sanglah Hospital management, the volunteers were allocated a small room in the right wing of the hospital from which to work.

"We communicate with the hospital's Dr. Hansen, who has been very helpful and open to any assistance from outside," she said.

PT Telkom and Indosat offered their services. The center received five extra lines from Telkom and two international connections from Indosat.

Some volunteers lent their computers and fax machines to the center, and donated paper and stationary.

"It's incredible. Everyone in Bali is eager to offer support and lend a hand to those affected," she said.

Soon after opening, the center was flooded with phone calls and thousands of e-mails from around the world.

Four volunteers are ready to help anyone, especially relatives and friends of victims, with any information the center has.

Other people take care of e-mails from people seeking information about loved ones.

The Crisis Center has set up several units, including for registration, missing persons, chaperon services and documentation.

"We've opened a unit at Ngurah Rai Airport that offers help to arriving relatives of victims and chaperons them to Sanglah," she said.

The relatives are expected to facilitate identification of the dead victims currently being handled by joint forensic teams from Indonesia and other countries.

"The forensic teams really need the relatives' help," she said.

Looking devastated and tired, arriving family members patiently sit in the third-floor hospital waiting room. A number of female volunteers serve them food and drinks.

Every day, the Crisis Center releases the latest data on missing persons, the evacuated and the results of body identification as well as pictures of missing persons.

For local victims, Gentry Amallo, Romo (Catholic priest) Sandyawan and student volunteers have set up the Indonesian Crisis Center at the Sanglah Hospital.

"We earlier opened three crisis centers at Udayana University and have been working to help locals killed or injured in the blast," Gentry said.

Important contact numbers:

Indonesian Hotline Center: 0361-227911 ext. 170 Fax 0361-257496 Posko Indonesian Center at Udayana University: 0361-235703/4 International Hotline: 62-361-257500 email:missingpersons@balisos.com