2006-06-01
10:37 p.m.
Update 4 - SINGAPORE!
Finally back after what seems like an eternity. I've been trying to conscientiously update on a MS Word file but haven't had the opportunity to upload it, so this one will be a super duper long one.
Before I begin going back into the past,
I AM SO GLAD TO BE BACK!!!!!
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25 May 2006
Hiya all,
You know how sometimes you just spend the day running about from point A to point B to point C and so on? Well, today is going to be one of those days for me.
As usual we got up for breakfast at 7am, then went back to the room to slack while waiting for the vehicle to arrive. At 7.45am my stomach decided to have a revolt. There was civil disorder, which I managed to suppress by the time it was time for us to leave for Markas (PMI Base) at 8am.
Today�s morning deployment is at Gunungpring. When we got there the crowd was up and about already, waiting for us to set up. Amran and I left the 4 nurses to their devices there while we scooted off to Yogya to change our air tickets. We�re returning on 29 May!! Mind you, that�s provided the volcano decides not to erupt before that.
Speaking of volcano eruption, Amran, Ali and I have come to the conclusion that we should throw Dawn into the crater as a sacrificial offering for the Mt Merapi volcano god. There�s likely to be 2 consequences of that action:
1. the volcano god is so disgusted that he throws her up immediately, thus erupting and setting the evacuation plans and all in motion (so we don�t have to keep this wait-and-see thingy that�s driving everyone to distraction)
2. the volcano god is so happy with the offering that he shuts up, thus saving tens and even hundreds of thousands of lives.
So you see, with one action we get two equally acceptable reactions. Not bad huh? Of course the protagonist herself has plenty things to say, not the least of which is that �Great beauty must be cherished and not used in such a manner!�. Oh yes, I forgot to mention that her definition of �bimbo� is �great beauty�. =p
Anyway they saw a grand total of 72 patients in the morning (only because they limited the number of people, else there�d be more � our services are in high demand here). As Dawn said, we�re foreign species.
In the afternoon we went to SMP (secondary school) Srumbung again, but this time to help the PMI�s PSP (Psychosocial Support Programme) team with their baseline assessment. Some parents had complained that their kids kept losing weight, so PMI wanted to do something about it. The PSP team requested for our team�s assistance.
Basically we took weight and height measurements for babies from 6 � 18 months and children from 18 months to 5 years. Actually we started with PSP yesterday at Jumoyo but as I had to run off somewhere I didn�t get to catch them at work.
Dawn�s maternal instincts apparently came out very strongly at these 2 sessions with PSP because she was handling babies (yesterday at Jumoyo there were 40 babies, and today at Srumbung there were about 18). She kept saying they�re so cute. I told her she should have some of her own to satisfy herself. Hahahaha..
Oh and I want to complain! Because it was a PSP team programme, the PSP team was singing songs and playing games with the kids � basically play therapy. So me being the only one from RCY here, decided to take part and teach the kids a campfire song� you know.. the �your side, your side, your side your front your back� song? Comes with action and all? I swear! After that my team mates never let me hear the end of it all through dinner and on the way back to the hotel! ESPECIALLY MS DAWN NEO! Bleahs! She even caught me on some video clips. Oh man.. I think I�m never gonna hear the end of it lah! And they were still at it even through supper and in the room!! Save me!!
NOT helped by the fact that Dawn�s gloating about the fact that COL ma�am said she wants to see the clip. BLEAHS! You guys DON�T even think about it ok! I haven�t decided if I want to upload it to HQ or not. So unglam. =p
Anyway, regarding Mt Merapi, the past few days it�s been spewing ash. You know the 70+ year old man? Pak Marijan? He�s been keeping rather quiet lately. Yesterday someone spoke to him but there was no mention of the volcano.
Anyway, now Boyolali, one of the 4 affected areas (the other 3 being Magelang [where we are], Sleman, and Klaten [which rained ashes 3 nights ago]), has had its alert status stepped down to SIAGA (I forgot what it stands for). It�s an acronym.
Speaking of which, boy is this place acronym country! TNI, Bupati, Dinas, KPRI, KAPOLRI, PUSKESMAS (which, incidentally, means the polyclinic), you name it. We confuse ourselves trying to understand the PMI guys sometimes.
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27 May 2006
Dawn and I woke up to our bed shaking. For a moment it didn�t register what it was � I wondered why Dawn was shaking the bed so violently. Then it came to both of us at the same time � earthquake!
We rushed out of the room to the courtyard where quite a number of people had already gathered. Amran said to prepare ourselves for deployment, so we quickly freshened up as much as we could and were soon on our way to Markas.
We were told conflicting news about the magnitude of the quake � 4.9, 5.2, 5.9, 6.2, 6.5 etc. At Jogya, somewhere north of Christmas Island, off Sumatra, etc. We didn�t know which was correct. But we DID know that there was help required. The PMI coordinator at Markas said Bantul was badly hit. A lot of houses had collapsed, and a lot of people injured.
We rushed all the way to Bantul, and along the way met a mass exodus of people � everyone rushing AWAY from the scene, and only a handful of others apart from PMI and SRC (and Mercy, which had decided to tag along with us) rushing in the opposite direction.
Along the way we set up a makeshift first aid post. We had no choice � there were just too many casualties that we met along the way. Then we were told that PMI had set up a field camp somewhere, and we were needed as they had no medical personnel there. Our team was split into 2 and I went with the advance team to the field camp.
For someone who�s usually so full of words, I really am at a loss of how to describe the scene that met me. We had all of more than a thousand casualties, and only what? 1 doctor, 4 nurses and 1 logs � that�s me.
I tell you this � I was at once a logs person, information officer, traffic controller (directing vehicles to the triage area), first aider, and everything else rolled into one. I have never felt so torn before in my life. Never before had I felt the need to be in so many places doing so many things at the same time. The first aider in me wanted to help with the casualties, but the information officer in me overruled that. Didn�t help that the communications lines sucked big time. I could only call out with difficulty.
No amount of text or photos or videos can adequately describe the scene here. Babies crying, everyone wanting a piece of your attention simply because you�re in a red cross vest � I�m hiding in the van typing this before I lose sight of my senses � adults calling out for help� you have to see it for yourself to believe it.
The feeling of utter helplessness is another thing that I had to struggle hard to overcome. We had supplies for medical, not for emergency or trauma treatment. I mean of course we brought a box of gauzes and bandages and all, but what was one box when faced with more than a thousand casualties? Our tapes ran out, bandages ran out, gauzes ran out, you name it we ran out of it. In the whole of Bantul there was NO MEDICAL SUPPLIES AVAILABLE. One hospital had collapsed, the rest could not cope with the increasing numbers of casualties seeking help. The PMI field camp I�m at? Only 40 PMI volunteers and less than 10 Singaporeans to help. How pathetic is that? But I know, as do the rest of our team, that we can only do our best. Personally I was grateful for the cooperation between SRC and Mercy. It allowed us to consolidate our resources. It also helped that MFA in Jakarta said that our nation is sending aid. A field hospital and a team of fresh medical personnel would help greatly.
I am exhausted after 4 hours in the sun. At least I think it�s 4 hours. Who looks at watches here? The team�s just had a short break for lunch, and we�re up and at it again. My team is returning on 29 May. HQ would like me and Amran to stay for a little longer to assist.
I guess that should be about it for now. I�ll update again and send this out when I have the opportunity to do so, which would be I don�t know when. Right now I have to go find the Mercy LO to check on some information.
1419h
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28 May 2006
Second day after earthquake. Went to the field hospital area bright and early (did I ever mention that it gets bright at like 5 am here? Well, it does, and by 6pm it�s pitch black. PITCH ok? As in put my hand in front of my face and cannot see my fingers kinda pitch). Anyway, we got here to Bantul at about 7.45am. The nurses worked till 10.30am before I forced them to take a break.
Plenty of suturing (sewing) to do today. I got a couple of pretty good videos. Very educational. Anyone interested to watch please feel free to ask me. Ali was suturing this young lady who had injured her foot. Let me put it this way � her foot was like a jigsaw puzzle � in many pieces. And the foot was already infected. Those of you who�ve read the 2 articles I wrote on my experiences in Meulaboh would know that anesthesia doesn�t work on infected wounds. We injected her anyway.
I could only marvel at how high her pain threshold was. Got a video of the suturing being done. If you look at the video and listen to the sound you�d probably hear the ghost-like wailing.
Today was a day for cries. Adults and children alike cried out in pain. The cries mixed together in a cacophony with the noise of other workers in the area � PMI setting up tents, nurses calling for medications and instruments, etc. Once again, I wondered how much it would take to break these people. The softies of my generation�s Singaporeans need to learn a big lesson here.
The air is constantly pierced by sirens. I guess it can�t be helped cos those ambulances, police vehicles, army vehicles, etc are rushing casualties here and there from their place of evacuation to the field hospital, to the general hospitals (if they�re accepting casualties still, which many aren�t).
PMI Chairman came by today. He said thanks again to us. It is testimony to the working relationship with PMI that we are not only able to assist them here in their hour of need, but also to introduce other Singapore NGOs to them. i.e. Mercy Relief Singapore. Anyway Pak Marie (the Chairman) said he�s keeping 25 percent of his resources for Merapi. I think that�s more than wise. With everyone so tied up here, if he put 100 percent of his resources here and the darned volcano decides to erupt, there�d be plenty trouble.
He said something interesting though. He asked if we were involved in Meulaboh and the tsunami. As 5 out of 6 of us were, he was pretty happy. He said tsunami was the best teacher. Nothing else should faze us then. Haha. In a sense I agree with him.
The Japanese came by today. Friendly lady. Their medical team (of 3) would be in this evening. Heard the Malaysians would be coming in too.
Lots of choppers and planes flying around today, banking here and there. I saw a Chinook fly past and wondered if it was a SAF one.
The team feels rather easily tired today. Perhaps due to the excitement of yesterday, and the incredibly hot weather. Fortunately things are beginning to stabilize. We�ll see how it goes. I�m not sure when, if ever, I�ll get to upload this.
1515h
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29 May 2006
Another day that promises to be long and tiring. We got there late today, later than Mercy.
It was a hot day today. The stench of dried human sweat and body odour mixed with that of blood and medication. The waft of fetid air just attacked your nostrils as soon as you walked under a ground sheet used as a shelter.
There�s a lady with an injured left hand. The hand is swollen as big as a boxing glove, the tendons are exposed. The hand has turned gangrenous, and she�s diabetic. The smell of decaying flesh in the heat is so overwhelming the doctors and nurses had to wear masks.
That said, today was not as busy as yesterday, and of course, even less so than Sunday, when the earthquake hit.
Speaking of earthquake, there were more quakes yesterday. And today, at Markas, it was raining white ash. Fine white ash. I tried to film it and take photos of it, but wasn�t successful. The van�s covered in a thin layer of white dust.
I�m not sure how long more I can take this. This place is rather depressing, and that�s putting it rather mildly. Oh yes, I�m learning lots and lots and lots. My learning curve is really going into overdrive. And I�m seeing some interesting cases which I�ve never seen before. At least now I can tell you the colour of your calf bone � it�s pale off-white � and how suturing is done. I can even show you the videos of it. How cool is that? But the team needs to have a psychological debrief when we get home. You can�t just go through such trauma (remember we were the first team on the ground � as I told the CAN reporter, we literally hit the ground running) and hope to get along without a psych debrief. It�s just not the done thing.
Anyway if in another half hour or so we don�t have anything much to do we�ll probably pack up and go back to rest. Tomorrow�ll be our last day of work here because the next team�s coming in tomorrow.
1613h