Post by va3css on Mar 31, 2005 8:44:24 GMT -5
Link to story.
NEWINGTON, CT, Mar 30, 2005--Working under harsh conditions, Indonesian Amateur Radio Emergency Service (IARES) volunteers have established VHF links between earthquake-stricken Nias Island and northern Sumatra. Organization of Amateur Radio for Indonesia (ORARI) headquarters in Jakarta this week called on all ORARI members to be ready to assist Nias Island--hit March 28 by magnitude 8.2 and 8.7 earthquakes--and to secure both VHF and HF frequencies for emergency traffic. An ORARI team now has set up at the Indonesian Public TV tower near Gunung Sitoli, the largest city on Nias Island, and now is in contact the ORARI District 6 command post in Medan in Sumatra. The ORARI team that helicoptered in March 29 already had experience supporting communication following the December 2004 tsunami that claimed an estimated 300,000 lives.
In the earthquake's immediate aftermath, IARES members reportedly were on duty with little or no food to eat, although they did have drinking water. At that point, many victims had not yet been evacuated, and some remained trapped in the debris. More than 1000 people are reported to have died as a result of the earthquakes. The tremors affected some of the same areas as the December earthquake and tsunami. Although officials and residents remained on alert for possible tsunamis this week, none have occurred.
In the earthquake's immediate aftermath, IARES members reportedly were on duty with little or no food to eat, although they did have drinking water. At that point, many victims had not yet been evacuated, and some remained trapped in the debris. More than 1000 people are reported to have died as a result of the earthquakes. The tremors affected some of the same areas as the December earthquake and tsunami. Although officials and residents remained on alert for possible tsunamis this week, none have occurred.
