Aid worker stories
Managing emergency logistics in Indonesia
On 30 September 2009 an earthquake struck just off the southern coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Government reports have to date confirmed that 1,115 people lost their lives and an estimated 1,250,000 people either partially or totally lost their homes and livelihoods. 
RedR Member Dan Sanger flew out to Indonesia on 1 November 2009, as part of the British Red Cross’ Emergency Response Unit (BRC ERU) Logistics Team, to replace the initial group of aid workers who had been on the ground since immediately after the earthquake. Dan and his colleagues spent one month working in Indonesia until they were able to hand over to the local Red Cross team.
The team was based in Padang, where the major shock had hit 45 km west-northwest of the city centre at 17:16 local time, with a magnitude of 7.6. As they arrived things had begun to settle down somewhat, although the country was still very much in a state of emergency. Some people in the villages were only just beginning to get reached by aid agencies and many of them had lost everything.
An experienced programme manager, Dan’s team focussed on the coordination of aid that was arriving via container ships. Twelve ships arrived in total and Dan and his colleagues were charged with finding storage space for their contents, which included tents, blankets, kitchen sets, basic tools and hygiene kits to prevent the spread of disease. Working alongside Dan and his colleagues was a team from The Indonesian Red Cross, who had just started a Shelter programme using local materials, with the Red Cross supplying tools and money.
It was interesting for Dan to be back in Indonesia, as he had previously spent time in Banda Ache following the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004; “It was interesting to be back and I was really pleased to catch up with a local Red Cross volunteer who I’d worked closely with during the tsunami response .”
A highlight of the mission for Dan was dealing with the local people, who he found to be extremely friendly and helpful; “The dedication of local volunteers and the commitment from those affected to rebuild their lives, in the face of such adversity, was incredible and very humbling to witness. Sadly because Indonesia is such a disaster-prone country, people are likely to go through similar experiences again.”
Dan is a long-term RedR Member, with extensive experience and expertise in emergency logistics, as well as water, sanitation and hygiene promotion. Over the years he has taken part in several RedR training courses and is now a contributor to RedR’s respected ‘Logistics Essentials’ course. As a poignant reminder of the need for such training, the Indonesia earthquake occurred just as he was delivering training on this logistics course, providing a timely reality
check for all participants.
