Latest Relief News: Tsunami and other

A good site to keep track of what is happening in the "humanitarian relief community is ReliefWeb. Links will get you to areas of the various on-going disasters.

Here's the link to the current news from the UN Joint Logistic Centre for the Indian Ocean Tsunami (link may expire) sample info:

Air Operations

SABANG Airport (WIAA, named Maimun Saleh, north of Banda Aceh) opened yesterday with Australian C130s operating into it. The airport has no lighting and is therefore only open during the day for visual approaches. There is no fuel available and there are currently no plans to provide any.

MEULABOH airfield has no Air Traffic Control. There is no visibility of incoming helicopter flights until they arrive.

There are six helipads in and around MEULABOH. These have been given a designated number by TNI and are recognized by both Singapore and the US (and presumably other air forces flying in).

Road Transport/Shipping/Ports

KRUENG RAYA port (BANDA ACEH) needs handling equipment such as mobile cranes, forklifts, pallets and tarpaulins. Also, security is needed.

The port at SABANG (island just offshore BANDA ACEH) is reported to be in good condition, but needs further assessment. The advantage of this port is that the main route from the port to the WEST COAST of Sumatra does not involve threading the channel between the islands just off the tip of BANDA ACEH. This passage is reportedly only passable for sizeable ships at high tide.

In MEULABOH, two sea access points are in use. One is a beach suitable for LCU which was prepared by the Singaporean military. The second point is the remains of the old pier, which is used by, among others, TNI to offload from small fishing boats and similar vessels.

The Singaporean Armed Forces are to build a permanent jetty at MEULABOH.

On the WEST COAST of Aceh nine ports were destroyed, including TELO and GUNUNG SITOLI on NIAS Island. It is estimated that rebuilding of the ports will take at least six months.

Four ports - SINABANG, BALOHAN, HAJI and BANYAK - are partially operational, but these can only handle vessels of less than 500GT.

A chartered car ferry is currently delivering relief supplies between PADANG, the WEST COAST islands, CALANG and BANDA ACEH. 14/01/05 the ferry departed from BANDA ACEH for CALANG carrying IOM and WFP cargo.

SRI LANKA

Five Indian Bailey bridges will arrive in TRINCOMALEE on Monday. The exact locations where they will be set up are not yet known.

You might note the use of ferries and other vessels to deliver supplies. Hooray!

From a prior UNJLC post:

WFP has chartered the following Landing Craft and Coastal Vessels. Landing Craft: o LTC Latricia Hanny, 500 mt dwt, gearless, o LTC Reulina, 500 mt dwt, gearless, Coastal Vessels: o MV Kim Trans, modern, multi-purpose, single-decker, 40/80 mt gear, 3.000 mt cargo capacity, will discharge rice on the west coast, has a heavy-lift capacity, o MV Rimba Delapan, 6,000 mt, single-decker with a range of cranes and derricks of 10/20 mt each, available to load at Tanjung Priok on 16/01/05.

A private vessel (200 MT car ferry) is docked at the BANDA ACEH cargo port (KRUENG RAJA/JATRATIGA) and has started loading IOM and other cargo. WFP intends to put some goods onboard as well. The ship will run down the WEST COAST to the area of CALANG where the cargo will probably be transhipped to small boats for distribution the coast.

and this

The German supply and hospital ship 'Berlin' has arrived offshore BANDA ACEH on schedule. The ship will deploy and subsequently support its field hospital in BANDA ACEH. Furthermore, it will offer further humanitarian deployment as required by the local authorities. The 'Berlin' also has 140 tonnes of humanitarian supplies from GTZ and German Red Cross onboard.

and this from January 13(!):

Overloading of the air routes and land routes has resulted in UNJLC assessing the potential for greater utilization of sea routes. The implications for loading/off loading are being investigated; especially given the substantial assets on offer for sea based transport/offloading (landing craft).

Good.