Alex Mahoney, our disaster programs manager for Asia, the Middle East and Europe, is currently working in Padang, Indonesia. He writes from the local office of the Indonesian Red Cross, known as Palang Merah Indonesia (PMI).

For two weeks, I’ve been working in the earthquake zone in Padang, in order to manage relief the American Red Cross is bringing to this damaged city. The earthquake has impacted the lives of so many people – even the disaster responders! When I got here, a large building right next door to PMI’s office had to be torn down because of extensive damage. We had to evacuate out of fear that the building’s demolition would destroy our building as well.

A grant from the U.S. government has enabled us to bring relief to 5,000 families, and provide water to 10,000 people per day in areas of Padang where the water supply has been destroyed. Private donations have enabled us to bring relief items from a regional warehouse to help thousands more.

It’s been amazing to watch PMI’s volunteers, from Padang and around Indonesia, as they work long, difficult hours to bring relief to the victims. For example, I visited a temporary helicopter base set up in a school, where volunteers had been living in small tents for days on end, supporting PMI’s air operations to reach people in mountainous areas that had been completely cut off from roads. The helicopters flew PMI medical teams into remote areas to assist the injured, and also brought household kits and temporary shelter materials to people whose homes were destroyed by the quake or by massive landslides that followed.

To support PMI’s management of the helicopter operations, we sent an American Red Cross field coordinator to the air base. Despite the difficult conditions – intense tropical heat, hard work over long hours, and torrential rain – the crew at the air ops base were completely dedicated to their mission until the roads opened again.

Without a doubt, these hardworking volunteers are what make the Red Cross special. When we respond to a disaster anywhere in the world, we don’t need to send in large teams of people. In countries like Indonesia, the Red Cross is already there, made up of volunteers whose dedication and knowledge of their country are unmatched.

Filed under: International