After the Wave |
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February 24th, 2005 - 02:41AM |
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Photo: Rachel Moresky Emergency room physician Rachel Moresky went to Aceh, Indonesia, shortly after the devastating tsunami of December 26. She spent a month serving as a health officer for the IRC's mobile emergency relief team. She brought home a journal of her experiences, which we're posting here. Jan. 13- Jan. 14 We drove from Banda Aceh to Lhokseumawe. During our 6 hour drive, we observed entire villages razed to the ground, with isolated mosques standing as sole bastions to nature’s destruction. The tsunami had left a literally indelible impression on the trees along the coast. Entire trunks of palm trees had been painted yellow-brown by the tsunami, creating a stark contrast to the splendid green foliage and colorful tree tops. All across the area, boats had found their way onto the coast, onto the streets, and into the homes. We arrived in the sub-district of Tanah Pasir in the district of Aceh Utara. While the clinic in Tanah Pasir had survived the tsunami, the clinic in Lapang (10 miles away) was not as lucky, having been annihilated by the tsunami. We spent our first few days setting up an ER clinic to absorb the overflow of patients and IDPs from the destroyed clinic in Lapang village (later, we also conducted an assessment for rebuilding it). The IRC had supplied the clinic in Tanah Pasir with one basic WHO kit for 10,000 people that would have to last three months. The kit included supplies, equipment and drugs for clinics, and mobile units. Our clinic had no potable water, no ambulance, and only 1 doctor for a population of 30,000. While the clinic had basic medication and electricity, it had no oxygen supply, no emergency obstetric care, and was only open half day. Posted By: Kathleen Sands | Asia, Diaries & Journals, Health, Tsunami Relief Permalink |
