G'day Austen
Thank you so much for this information - it was very insightful. I am
copying this to the following people as they all are linked up to Networks
where this information will be most useful as people begin to move into the
Post-disaster Stage:
- Hans Zerr (Australian Development Gateway)
- Mark Hammersley (Aid Workers Network)
- Natural Hazards & Disasters global network
- Justin Kemp (Dev-Zone)
- Colin Hadkiss (ODI/HPN)
I'm also copying this to my own TorqAid/AARTG relief network of 200 + people
....
Cheers
Chris
PS - readers should note that I worked as the AusAID humanitarian consultant
on the joint AusAID/GoPNG Post-disaster recovery mission to Aitape, PNG in
Sept 1998. Father Austen Crapp was the senior Catholic leader there who
took many of the initial initiatives in responding to the Aitape tsunami
disaster - where approx 2,000 were killed, and 10,000 temporarily
displaced...
----- Original Message -----
From: "Austen Crapp ofm" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, January 03, 2005 8:56 AM
Subject: Aitape tsunami
> Dear Chris,
>
> In reply to your request for suggestions from our experience in trauma aid
> I
> put down thoughts off the top of my head. It all is a rush to get help to
> people suffering so much. The scenes in beach places in Asia is so
> familiar
> from the Aitape wave scene.
>
> # The people took at least ayear to be confident to approach the sea.
> Indeed they were prohibited to wash or fish in the lagoon for 12 months
> until the bodies and debris cleared. Then they noticed it was full of
> fish
> and began catching and eating them. They built houses 2/3 Kms away but
> were
> slow to move to the beach , even for a short visit, for 12 months
>
> # A big help was a home grown counselling service using basically trained
> volunteers from the affected villages. Trauma Counsellors came from
> Bougainville to give volunteers the basic tools to help their people. This
> worked well in having the victims vocalize their stories and find a way
> out
> of depression and hopelessness.
>
> # No help was forthcoming in settting up small businesses. They returned
> to what they did before after 2 years when they had completed building
> houses and infrastructure. Also schools and clinics had been built by
> Rotary teams.
>
> # Professor Hugh Davies of UPNG did a magnificent job in explaining how
> and
> what a tsunami is and giving signs of an approaching wave. Aitape had
> only
> 15 minutes from quake to tsunami so no warning system was possible.
> Posters, radio messages and videos are used to get the message to RUN AWAY
> from the sea immediately after a quake.
>
>
> I hope this helps Chris,
>
>
> Austen
>
>
>
|