News Compass

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Indonesian Earthquake: Photos of Damage on Nias Island

HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF NIAS ISLAND

The tropical Island of Nias is located west of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Nias has a distinctly characteristic culture; it is renowned for its traditional buildings and archaic stone sculptures. In former times the villages in the south were strongly fortified city-states and only after years of strong resistance directed against the Dutch attempt to colonize, did the local population finally succumb to direct colonial rule. It was in this area that the Danish doctor Agner Møller who in the nineteen twenties, studied the local culture and language, instead of concentrating on his work for the Dutch government as an medical doctor. Read here for more

Lonely Planet writeup: Since 1975, the year three Australian surfers found Nias' legendary "right break" (a thing most surfers who aren't goofy footers are desperate for) quite by accident, this tiny island has been the starting point for some of surfing's most celebrated wave expeditions. The reputation of this island among surfers started as a whisper - wave riders round the world talked about it the way little children talk about Santa's workshop - and gradually became a roar. A swathe of surf movies followed, and soon tiny little Lagundri Bay - where Nias' best surf can be found - became Surf Central. Read here for more

In Nias, identity revolves around artifacts worn or owned by people. Every object is associated with a particular clan, social status or gender. One’s identity is thus handed down from previous generations. This identity, based on artifacts, tends to have a very high social value. People without an identity have the choice to earn their identity - the artifact worn by people of the lowest class. This makes the artifact a symbol of democracy, as is traditionally understood by the people of Nias, since people are given the choice of whether or not to have an identity. Read here for more

Read here full report by Fadyam Syam (AP)

29 March 2005

Residents searched through smoldering rubble for survivors on Indonesia's Nias island Tuesday, and relatives wept over the bodies of the dead after an 8.7-magnitude earthquake hammered the region, triggering a tsunami scare.

An overflight of Gunung Sitoli, the island's biggest city, indicated about 30 percent of its buildings were destroyed, and there was significant damage in the island's second biggest town, Teluk Dalam.

The quake damaged Gunung Sitoli's airstrip and prevented all but small planes from landing. The Indonesian military flew The Associated Press and other news organizations over the island to inspect the damage.

Fishing villages along the coastline and inland appeared to be largely unaffected.

In Gunung Sitoli, people could be seen digging through the rubble as smoke from burning buildings hung in the air.

A steeple had been knocked off a church on the mainly Christian (Nias) island.

A soccer field was turned into a temporary relief center. People swarmed around U.N. helicopters as they landed to deliver relief supplies.

The International Organization for Migration said it was sending trucks loaded with water, milk and other food items, and medical supplies to the Sumatran port town of Sibolga, where they will be ferried to Gunung Sitoli.

Japan and Australia offered to send troops to Nias to help with the cleanup if Jakarta asks. India pledged $2 million in aid.

U.S. officials promised rapid assistance.

ABC (Australia) reports:

UN relief agencies say their aid effort in Indonesia following December's tsunami disaster was well-funded and they are unlikely to need more cash after the latest quake in the region.

Representatives of three Geneva-based agencies and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies say staff are already moving to the newly-affected areas and food and medical supplies are on the way.

"There should be NO problem with funds. We received enough support for the tsunami appeal," Christiane Berthiaume of the World Food Program (WFP), said.

OCHA, the WFP, UNICEF and the non-UN International Organisation for Migration all say they are sure they can cope with the new disaster with what they had in place in Indonesia already.

Map of Indonesia locating earthquake off Nias Island.(AFP)

An aerial view of damaged houses in a beach near the town of Gunungsitoli in the Indonesia's Nias island after an earthquake that measured 8.7 March 29, 2005. More than 1,000 people are believed to have died in a massive earthquake that hit a small island off western Indonesia overnight, but panic across Asia that it would trigger another devastating tsunami soon receded. (Courtesy of REUTERS/Tarmizy Harva)

(Above Photos: The city center of Gunung Sitoli on Nias Island lies in ruins after a powerful earthquake in this aerial photograph taken Tuesday, March 29, 2005, over Nias, Indonesia. The massive earthquake late Monday killed hundreds and sparked fears of another tsunami in the region. (Courtesy of AP Photo/Suzanne Plunkett)

Indonesians ride past damaged buildings in the town of Gunungsitoli in the Indonesia's Nias island after a strong quake March 29, 2005. Aid flights on Tuesday began reaching Indonesia's Nias island, where more than 1,000 people are believed dead after a massive earthquake.(Courtesy of REUTERS/Tarmizy Harva )

An aerial view of damaged buildings in the town of Gunungsitoli in Indonesia's Nias island after an earthquake that measured 8.7 March 29, 2005. (Courtesy of REUTERS/Tarmizy Harva )

Photo shows a relative mourning over the body of a child after a strong quake on Nias island near the Indonesian island of Sumatra March 29, 2005. (Courtesy of REUTERS/SCTV Indonesia )

Photo shows men transporting dead bodies on motorbikes after a strong earthquake on Nias island near the Indonesian island of Sumatra March 29, 2005. (Courtesy of REUTERS/SCTV Indonesia )

Photo shows men building coffins in the street on Indonesia's Nias island north of Sumatra province after a strong earthquake March 29, 2005. (Photo by Sctv Indonesia/ Reuters )

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