Sumatra earthquake relief update (Apr 4-Apr 6)

As early as Mar 31, it was reported that "the United States has reassigned its hospital ship, the USNS Mercy, and cargo ship, the USNS Niagara Falls, to a humanitarian mission in Indonesia, namely to help earthquake victims on Nias and Simeuleu islands." Unfortunately, as of Apr 5, "USNS Mercy was not expected to be fully operational for several days as most of its medics were still arriving from the United States."

In the meantime, some parts of Nias are only just receiving relief:

LOLOFITU MOI, Indonesia : After subsisting on bananas for a week, young Yesmen Halawa was ecstatic when the first of tonnes of aid directed to quake-hit northwestern Indonesia made it to his village in three lumbering trucks.

The International Organisation for Migration convoy crawled up mountain roads pitted with deep, 1.5-metre-wide (five-foot) potholes Monday to be the first aid team to reach the people of Lolofitu Moi on Nias island since the powerful March 28 earthquake.

Singapore's relief continues apace, with the Chinook helicopters playing a key role (as earlier predicted).

Also, from the Singapore Red Cross press release (Apr 4), "Braving The Rain To Send Relief Supplies To Nias":

Singapore Red Cross sends about S$1 million worth of relief supplies to the island of Nias today, Monday, 4 April 2005. The barge carrying these relief supplies is expected to arrive in Nias on Wednesday, 13 April 2005.

Put together by the SRC and Mercy Relief, the shipment comprises of 10 units of water treatment plants, water, food, medical and pharmaceutical items. While some of the items were donated by NTUC Fairprice, the rest were bought with the tsunami fund which had been raised earlier.

"Our doctors and nurses are helping to treat victims in the SAF field hospital. However, there is still a pressing need for nurses here. Due to the shortage of oil, most of the vehicles are not moving. Many people are using their bare hands to dig through the rubble," reported Mr Sahari, liaison officer from Singapore Red Cross who is there with the team from SRC and Mercy Relief since 30 March 2005.

On 6 April, another medical team of two doctors and four nurses will depart for Nias to continue the emergency relief work at the SAF hospital. They will take over the baton from the first team of two doctors and two nurses who will return to Singapore in the afternoon.

Elsewhere, the black box of the crashed Australian helicopter has been recovered, and the bodies of the none dead returned home.