nias, (indonesia) earthquake 2005
On March 28, 2005, just 3 months after the Indian Ocean earthquake (December 26, 2004), Indonesia was once again shaken, this time by a magnitude 8.6 earthquake which was called the Sumatra or Nias Earthquake. The greatest impact was felt on the island of Nias, which is located off the northern coast of Sumatra and is home to over 750,000 people. On March 27 at small team from Safe Harbor had left the Ache District of northern Sumatra and were in route, via ferry. The were on their way to assess damage on the island of Nias following the Indian Ocean Earthquake. The team was several hours off the coast of Nias when the earthquake struck and were some of the first of the First Responders to arrive on scene. CC Pasedena had a medical team that was heading to Sri Lanka, but changed plans at the last minute and rerouted to Nias. A team from Parakletos International (CC Costa Mesa) joined in. It took our team several days to get to Nias, and our team that was stranded on the island. There was a lot of chaos at the airport in Medan, Sumatra, and we eventually leased and aircraft belonging to the State Police to fly our team and supplies to the island. Once there CC Pasedena set up a medical clinic as the rest of us assessed the damage and treated victims in remote villages. The earthquake left an estimated 1300 dead and damaged a large portion of the city of Gunungsitoli. We experienced a number of large aftershocks while we were there that sent the people fleeing out of the still standing buildings and running for higher ground. We worked closely with Christian Churches and ministries on the island as a result we were able to pray with and encourage many people.