Eutrusca
03-01-2005, 15:16
Relief Operations Pick Up Steam
Associated Press
January 3, 2005
KARIM RAJIA, Indonesia - U.S. helicopters dropped off cartons of food aid donated by Singapore schools Monday as one of the largest American military relief operations in history picked up steam.
Flying missions along a 120-mile stretch of coastline of Indonesia's Sumarta island, the extent of the damage from the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami became eerily clear.
At one point, the choppers flew low over what appeared to be a fishing flotilla off the coast floating on glassy seas. Some boats were clearly damaged, while others appeared to have emerged from the disaster unscathed. But there was no sign of life at all.
At Karim Rajia, a town about seven miles south of Banda Aceh that has an oil storage facility, two huge tanks had been knocked off their concrete bases and sat lopsided on the sand, while thousands of smaller oil drums lay scattered about. It was unclear if any were leaking.
Two helicopters dropped off 1,800 pounds of soup and biscuits there in cartons stenciled: "Our deepest condolences to the brothers and sisters in Aceh. May god be with them. Love from the teachers and students of Singapore."
Several people were taken off on stretchers on the USS Abraham Lincoln after the U.S. military got permission from Jakarta on Sunday to pick up survivors in bad shape.
It appeared that the five-vessel carrier group headed by the Lincoln and crewed by more than 6,500 sailors and Marines was settling in for the long haul, with several more ships joining and others on the way.
"We're here until we are directed elsewhere," said Rear Adm. Doug Crowder, the task force commander.
The U.S. agenda was being set by the Indonesian government. For now, the helicopters are only flying as far south as the fishing village of Meulaboh. Pilots said damage further south could be even worse.
The Lincoln's group moved into position Saturday off Indonesia to launch one of the largest U.S. military operations in southern Asia since the Vietnam War. The carrier and much of its crew served in the Gulf during the Iraq war. The pilots said that while the extent of damage here was stunning, they felt they were making a difference.
"I'd much rather be doing this than fighting a war," said helicopter pilot Lt. Cmdr. William Whitsitt of Great Falls, Montana.
Disaster victims' needs remain enormous, and relief efforts were still hampered by the destruction of roads, ports and airfields. The arrival of U.S. warships and helicopters boosted the relief drive and offered a glimpse of the scope of devastation from the calamity.
"There is nothing left to speak of," said pilot Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Vorce, of San Diego, California.
The aid deliveries were a mere drop in an ocean of need - but priceless nonetheless, said Indonesian military spokesman Ahmad Yani Basuki.
"They've helped us reach places we have not had the time, or manpower, or equipment to go to," said Basuki, noting that Americans had helped clear helicopter landing spaces for the arrival of future supplies. "It really speeds up the distribution of aid to (Sumatra's) west coast."
Associated Press
January 3, 2005
KARIM RAJIA, Indonesia - U.S. helicopters dropped off cartons of food aid donated by Singapore schools Monday as one of the largest American military relief operations in history picked up steam.
Flying missions along a 120-mile stretch of coastline of Indonesia's Sumarta island, the extent of the damage from the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami became eerily clear.
At one point, the choppers flew low over what appeared to be a fishing flotilla off the coast floating on glassy seas. Some boats were clearly damaged, while others appeared to have emerged from the disaster unscathed. But there was no sign of life at all.
At Karim Rajia, a town about seven miles south of Banda Aceh that has an oil storage facility, two huge tanks had been knocked off their concrete bases and sat lopsided on the sand, while thousands of smaller oil drums lay scattered about. It was unclear if any were leaking.
Two helicopters dropped off 1,800 pounds of soup and biscuits there in cartons stenciled: "Our deepest condolences to the brothers and sisters in Aceh. May god be with them. Love from the teachers and students of Singapore."
Several people were taken off on stretchers on the USS Abraham Lincoln after the U.S. military got permission from Jakarta on Sunday to pick up survivors in bad shape.
It appeared that the five-vessel carrier group headed by the Lincoln and crewed by more than 6,500 sailors and Marines was settling in for the long haul, with several more ships joining and others on the way.
"We're here until we are directed elsewhere," said Rear Adm. Doug Crowder, the task force commander.
The U.S. agenda was being set by the Indonesian government. For now, the helicopters are only flying as far south as the fishing village of Meulaboh. Pilots said damage further south could be even worse.
The Lincoln's group moved into position Saturday off Indonesia to launch one of the largest U.S. military operations in southern Asia since the Vietnam War. The carrier and much of its crew served in the Gulf during the Iraq war. The pilots said that while the extent of damage here was stunning, they felt they were making a difference.
"I'd much rather be doing this than fighting a war," said helicopter pilot Lt. Cmdr. William Whitsitt of Great Falls, Montana.
Disaster victims' needs remain enormous, and relief efforts were still hampered by the destruction of roads, ports and airfields. The arrival of U.S. warships and helicopters boosted the relief drive and offered a glimpse of the scope of devastation from the calamity.
"There is nothing left to speak of," said pilot Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Vorce, of San Diego, California.
The aid deliveries were a mere drop in an ocean of need - but priceless nonetheless, said Indonesian military spokesman Ahmad Yani Basuki.
"They've helped us reach places we have not had the time, or manpower, or equipment to go to," said Basuki, noting that Americans had helped clear helicopter landing spaces for the arrival of future supplies. "It really speeds up the distribution of aid to (Sumatra's) west coast."