Surfers show quick response in the wake of Nias quake

Evi Mariani The Jakarta Post/Nias

About 36 hours after a massive 8.7 Richter scale earthquake shook Nias on March 28, Surf Aid International's chartered boat, the Katika, arrived at the southern part of the island, Teluk Dalam.

The seven-strong emergency team aboard -- including Dr. Dave Jenkins, two other medical doctors and two nurses -- carried with them rice, potable water and tarpaulins.

The seven were among the first aid workers to reach Teluk Dalam, while most aid organizations prioritized the more developed Gunung Sitoli in north Nias.

And while on the fifth day after the quake administration officials in the regency's capital were still waiting for death reports from remote inland villages, Surf Aid International volunteers were on their way to the villages.

"I'm really sorry, I cannot talk to you right now. I'm about to go to villages to pick up injured people," New Zealander Dr. Dave Jenkins told The Jakarta Post in Teluk Dalam, while producing a name card from his pocket.

His face was sunburned, but he did not seem bothered by the scorching heat.

"Since then, Jenkins' team has been on the go -- to the islands west off Nias, to inland villages," Jason Brown, SurfAid's emergency communications manager told the Post in a phone interview.

Before the Katika, SurfAid also sent chartered boat the Asia from Sibolga to Gunung Sitoli, less than 24 hours after the quake.

SurfAid was also among the first aid groups to arrive on quake-hit Simeuleu island in Aceh province.

"We've been involved in emergency relief programs since the (Dec. 26) tsunami," Brown said, adding that after the tsunami they largely worked in Simeuleu and Nias' western main district of Sirombu.

SurfAid is made up of dedicated workers who have the use of support craft like an inflatable speed boat, four chartered boats, a car ship and a refueling ship on standby to transport rice, medicine and medical teams.

"The New Zealand government gave us a helicopter to help us do medical evacuations from remote villages to Gunung Sitoli," Brown, an Australian, added.

Poor access to many villages is a lingering problem in managing the relief operation on Nias.

While the infrastructure was already poor, the quake worsened conditions to the extent that travel by car on the badly cracked asphalt roads is virtually impossible.

Villagers seeking food aid set off for major cities Teluk Dalam and Gunung Sitoli by motorbike or by foot.

"From April 1 to April 6, our teams in south Nias have treated 188 patients, most of whom suffered broken bones in their spine, pelvis, seamer and ribs," Brown said.

"We are now starting to prepare for secondary infections, like measles, respiratory infections, and pneumonia and rubella, which hit children once they have become displaced," he added.

After the emergency program, Brown added, SurfAid volunteers and workers would continue working on Nias. They have based themselves in Teluk Dalam and Sirombu, where the organization has a small warehouse for aid.

SurfAid was founded four years ago by Jenkins, who had traveled to the Mentawai Islands in West Sumatra to surf. He was taken aback by the poor health of people there.

A surfer-cum-medical-doctor who has a family in New Zealand, Jenkins left his permanent job in Singapore to establish SurfAid International, which is based in Padang, the nearest city to the Mentawai Islands.

SurfAid's main objective is to significantly improve the health of the Mentawai people, who often die of preventable and treatable illnesses.

On the Mentawai Islands, particularly on the largest island Siberut, SurfAid hires more than 30 full-time health trainers.

SurfAid is supported by various institutions and organizations like the Australian government, New Zealand government and surfing apparel producers like U.S Quicksilver and Australian Billabong.

The organization also coordinates the support of the global surfing community.

In their recent press release dated March 31, SurfAid received funds from the revenue of selling bracelets constructed of light blue silicone imprinted with the word "SurfAid".

Surf shops in California have been busy selling the fund- raising bracelets to not just surfers but also to skaters and the general population.

Previously, the movement, called BandTogether, raised US$40,000 for SurfAid health programs.