After several days waiting in Banda Aceh for the U.N. flight heading for Nias, on Friday 05-08-2005, Earl Campbell, N8TV/YB6ZEC, has finally arrived and joined the ORARI-ARES's YB6ZAH command post in Gunung Sitoli, Nias island. Campbell who is a ham from New Mexico State and an International Red Cross's IT specialist used to help the post-tsunami relief effort in Banda Aceh.
From YB6ZAH station he successfully launched his first email from Nias to W. Purwinto, AB2QV, in New York State. It was the first satellite-internet connection ever launched from Nias island - using the V-Sat satellite-based internet set connected to the notebook PC - since 8.7 magnitude under water earthquake severely damaged the infrastructure and some parts of the island.
Since then he is capable to provide Internet communication world-wide to support the hamradio emergency activities in the island and its surrounding islands. The pictures of Campbell and Herman Rangkuti, YC6IQ, who is an ORARI-ARES member from Medan and an operator of YB6ZAH zulu station, taken digitally by Campbell are available at http://www.qsl.net/ab2qv/nias.htm.
Two days before Campbell arrived in Nias, Mark Wolf, N7YMW/YB6ZMW, arrived with USNS Mercy and USNS Niagara Falls anchored off shore Nias. Wolf paid a visit to YB6ZAH zulu station to meet its operator, Rangkuti. The three hams, Rangkuti, Campbell and Wolf, will always coordinate and support each other up to provide radio communication smoothly for the emergency services conducted by hams and non-hams in the region. They have contacted and will often contact other zulu stations for information and report exchange. What a nice cooperation among them in time of emergency.
Earthquake And Tsunami Hit Tabuyung Village, Madina Regency, North Sumatra Province.
Ady Susanto, YB6VK, who is a hamradio operator from North Sumatra Province, reported that the Indonesian Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ORARI-ARES) of District 6/Northern Sumatra received a late emergency call from Madina (Mandailing Natal) Regency, North Sumatra Province. [Many coffee drinkers in the world always remember Sumatra Mandailing coffee]. The ORARI-ARES deployed its member Syawaluddin Lubis, YC6ROD, to the disaster area to setup YB6ZAL zulu (emergency) station on 4-6-2005 using battery power - after learned that there was no electricity and public communication available in the remote area.
Since 4-6-2005 Lubis has been collecting the data of the casualties. On Thursday 4-7-2005 at 20:30 local time Lubis was just able to report from YB6ZAL station to the ORARI-ARES command post in Medan and other zulu stations through 145.260MHz VHF linked repeater in Northern Sumatra. Lubis reported that according to some local refugees their coastal village - Tabuyung, Batang Gadis Sub-District, Madina Regency, North Sumatra Province - swept by 18 feet (6 meters) high sea water that travelled about 50 miles per hour on Tuesday 3-29-2005 early morning following the earthquake. This tsunami was generated by 8.7 magnitude under water quake occurred on 3-28-2005 at 23:00 local time and located near Banyak islands that is between Nias island and Simeulue island off west coast of Sumatra island. This quake has also destroyed large parts of Nias island and its surrounding islands.
Lubis said that as a result of both the earthquake and the tsunami one villager has died, 411 families lost their houses, 30 families experienced severely damaged houses, and 71 families still have their houses undamaged. Moreover, 632 family refugees have been living in the tents on the Kennam company's property located about 4 miles away from Tabuyung village. The ORARI-ARES command post contacted the authorities and several disaster aid relief task forces in the region to save the survivors and recover the village.
W.Purwinto, AB2QV.
DX Emergency Support
Syracuse, New York.
http://www.qsl.net/ab2qv/nias.htm http://www.qsl.net/ab2qv/tsunami.htm
Yahoo! Mail Mobile
Take Yahoo! Mail with you! Check email on your mobile phone.
