It was a busy Monday recently for the team of pilots and ground staff in Palu Indonesia for both Yayasan MAF Indonesian’s Kodiak and Helivida’s helicopter, delivering food, a full plane of medicine, two medical evacuations, and flying doctors in and out of two communities cut off by damaged roads.
Two organizations, Yayasan Alpha Omega and World Share from Korea, working with a local church, donated food to be delivered to the communities of Kulawi and Omu that have been trapped without road access since the earthquake on 28 September.
On two separate helicopter trips, two women who suffered serious bone fractures from 10 days earlier were finally able to get to a hospital for professional medical treatment in Palu. More medical evacuations are expected to happen in the next few days.
Doctors flew in and out of the same two isolated communities. A doctor and nurse from Yayasan Alpha Omega flew early to Omu to treat patients and find those who needed medical evacuation. Dr. Ellen, a local doctor who is not affiliated with any organization, flew to both Kulawi and Omu, coming back with the medevac patients. And three government doctors who had flown into Kulawi the previous day returned to Palu Monday afternoon.
The Kodiak plane, piloted by Yayasan MAF Indonesian’s Dave Ringenberg, delivered a full cargo load of medicine from Balikpapan to Palu for Operation Blessing’s Indonesian branch, Obor Berkat Indonesia, for their two medical teams that are holding clinics for displaced people who lost their homes in the earthquake and tsunami.
“Our big issue is medicine supply,” Mark McClendon told MAF. “We’ve had twice now interrupted supplied medicine. We had medicine for 1500 people that we put on a ship for Balikpapan. The ship took a left hand turn to Tarakan, then told us it would arrive on Tuesday. So MAF sent medicines for 1500 people right now so that our medical teams can be resupplied today, just in time. So tomorrow morning, all of our teams will hit the ground with meds.”
It was amazing to see how just one day can make a difference in the lives of many here who are suffering thanks to the work of individuals and organizations committed to doing what they can no matter how small, from a single Palu doctor or small local church to large humanitarian organizations. It was a great day!
