Tsunami Disaster Relief - More photographs

[John Eacott]

TC,

Standard on all Westland Sea Kings: also incorporated a crewman's hover trim control, about 10% authority IIRC.

[Phoenix Rising]

Tynecastle - There was a Pelita Puma at Medan when we were on our way through there but all it was doing was carrying some VIPS around and was decked out in a VIP config.

Ned

P.S. Am home now but going back to BA straight after Heli Expo, leaving direct from LAX to HK and then Jakarta to jump on a Herc up to BA.

These are a few pics from a friend at Heli Harvest here in NZ, they have a Mil-8 working up there.

[emergov]

long lining

Long lining is a great idea, but there are far bigger issues surrounding the distribution of aid than whether one group of pilots has better hands and feet than another.

Over the last three days, there have been 350, 280 and 320 helo movements to Banda Aceh afld. There would have been at least 30% more if there was a fast, reliable way to get fuel for the civilian and some of the mil helos here. (about 1/2 the mil helos have their own refuel capability - FRP or ship)

The USN have been extremely well organised, and along with USAID have been running a superb PZ operation, loading internally by hand - and turning around about 50 helos a day. Other mil acft are being loaded at the Indonesian Military ramp, and loading ops are also conducted quite quickly, but in a more chaotic manner. The limiting factor is having to wait for fuel.

Underslinging loads would not significantly improve matters, because of the real estate available, the extreme volume of FW heavy traffic, and the lack of trained pers to pack the loads. Even if they were available, the state of command and control for the helo effort would lead to us achieving pretty much the same ROE. Add to that the difficulties in retrieving the ADE (landings required), and the amount of mud and corruption in all the LZ, and the long line / ext load option is not worth pursuing. Not to mention that Meulaboh is an hours flying from BA.

I get the feeling that some posters on this forum don't appreciate the scale of ops, amount of chaos and crappy conditions that all the crews here are working under.

The big issues to be sorted are getting the FW traffic flowing well, and processing the aid to RW, getting fuel sorted out - hot refuelling is a must - and getting sufficient parking and maintenance areas available especially for the civ operators. Once those issues are under control (and the mil will probably have departed by then) you can worry about longlining - and get enough riggers in country to rig and retrieve the nets from the approx 35 LZ we are operating into - 200 trips a day.

By the way - there are about 46 helos here, and up until the 15 Jan, there were about 6 civ helos - all of them local. The previous post ref the military not being able to respond quickly enough is just not true - a Carrier group was the fastest way to get aid to the region. The next people in BA were the Aust military - 5 Jan. First coordinated civilian helo response was the SA effort, which is still flowing in, and started on 15 Jan.

Good to see so many helo good blokes posting and keeping an interest. Saw Ned the other day - top pics.

[Gabra1]

Phoenix Rising and Tynecastle:

I was in BA yesterday and saw a Pelita 412EP on the civilian ramp.

Emergov:

"there were about 6 civ helos - all of them local."

I am pretty sure there are more than 6 civil helos and not all local. I know of at least 4 from Malaysia: MHS's S61N and 355F2, Sabah Air's 212 and Eurocopter Malaysia's 365N.

First coordinated civilian helo response was the SA effort, which is still flowing in, and started on 15 Jan.

I wonder what you mean by "first coordinated"? The S61N, Bell 212 and 365N (all civilian) have been working in Medan and Banda Aceh since early Jan.

Phoenix Rising posted pictures of the S61N on Jan 10!

[Phoenix Rising]

Emergov - Are you sure you are at the right place. The South African effort was NOT the first civil response and in fact there were no local machines in BA when WE got there in MHS's S-61, apart from an Indonesia Police quartet of BO-105s and a 412 which were over on the civil side. Am happy to show you the pics of the helos on the TNI apron if you wish.

A couple of days after we got there Sabah Air arrived with their 212, actually it followed us up to BA on our second trip from Medan. Then a 212 from NUH turned up for a couple of days doing some work for AUS and NZ Aid NGOs. When we went back to medan for the third time it was then that the South African 407s had arrived and in fact when we departed for BA in the morning they were just getting ready to do their first flight north to BA which was to take some VIPs up to have a look around. When I had left they hadnt even repositioned to BA.

To add a little bit more Eurocopter Malaysia had their Dauphin there running supplies and people back and forth to Meaulaboh for the Red Cross. So recapping MHS and EC Malaysia were the first civil helos there in BA apart from the Indo Police and the 412.

Just wanted to make sure credit was given where its due. For any Aussie military guys here on the forum caught up with James Brown at BA and he was working hard. Their Hueys were doing some great work alongside the Seahawks.

Ned

[Heliport]

Ned

Any chance of some pics before you set off again?

We're all very interested in what's happening, and it's great to get it first hand from Rotorheads members in the thick of the action.

Thanks

Heliport

[Phoenix Rising]

Here are some images I am hosting for Gabra1. The things being loaded into the back of the BO105 are coffins and the orange bag on the side of the road in Aceh township is a body bag so they are still getting bodies out, now nearly a month after the Tsunami hit.

[Gabra1]

Silberfuchs:

At the moment, highly unlikely. It will depend on whether the Red Cross still need us to be there. Otherwise, we will be flying home on 4th Feb.

We flew in fresh crews to BA in our Beech 1900D yesterday and brought home the worn out ones who have been there for the last 3 weeks.

Once again, many thanks to all the volunteers.

[emergov]

Civ helos at BA

Ned,

sorry about that - I was a bit hazy on the in-fill. I was really talking about the first coordinated group of civ helos - organised by the UN, I believe, but there are also small fleets operated by UNHCR (Swiss Air Force), and UNICEF, I believe.

All the crews here are doing an outstanding job, and it is a testament to everyone's airmanship that things have gone so smoothly.

[Phoenix Rising]

Emergov - Dont worry about it, when I get back there straight after Heli Expo I will give you the correct facts over a beer (thats if we can find one there )

I plan on arriving back into Bander Achey on the 10th, might be sooner as will bug out of Heli Expo on the night it closes, or maybe the day before. If anyone working in BA wants anything from Heli Expo drop me a PM and will bring it back with me.

Cheers

Ned.

[Ozgrade3]

Triangle of Life - Survival Tips

EXTRACT FROM DOUG COPP'S ARTICLE ON THE "TRIANGLE OF LIFE", Edited by
Larry Linn for MAA Safety Committee brief on 4/13/04.

http://www.amerrescue.org/

My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the
American Rescue Team International (ARTI), the world's most experienced
rescue team. The information in this article will save lives in an
earthquake.

I have crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with rescue teams
from 60 countries, founded rescue teams in several countries, and I am a
member of many rescue teams from many countries. I was the United
Nations expert in Disaster Mitigation for two years. I have worked at
every major disaster in the world since 1985, except for simultaneous
disasters.

In 1996 ! we made a film which proved my survival methodology to be
correct.

The Turkish Federal Government, City of Istanbul, University of Istanbul
Case Productions and ARTI cooperated to film this practical, scientific
test. We collapsed a school and a home with 20 mannequins inside. Ten
mannequins did "duck and cover," and ten mannequins I used in my
"triangle of life" survival method. After the simulated earthquake
collapse we crawled through the rubble and entered the building to film
and document the results. The film, in which I practiced my survival
techniques under directly observable, scientific conditions, relevant to
building collapse, showed there would have been zero percent survival
for those doing duck and cover. There would likely have been 100 percent
survivability for people using my method of the "triangle of life." This
film has been seen by millions of viewers on television in Turkey and
the rest of Europe, an! d it was seen in the USA, Canada and Latin America
on the TV progra m Real TV.

The first building I ever crawled inside of was a school in Mexico City
during the 1985 earthquake. Every child was under their desk. Every
child was crushed to the thickness of their bones. They could have
survived by lying down next to their desks in the aisles. It was
obscene, unnecessary and I wondered why the children were not in the
aisles. I didn't at the time know that the children were told to hide
under something.

Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings
falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects,
leaving a space or void next to them. This space is what I call the
"triangle of life". The larger the object, the stronger, the less it
will compact. The less the object compacts, the larger the void, the
greater the probability that the person who is using this void for
safety will not be injured. The next time you watch collapsed buildings,
on t! elevision, count the "triangles" you see formed. They are
everywhere. It is the most common shape, you will see, in a collapsed
building. They are everywhere.

TEN TIPS FOR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY

1) Most everyone who simply "ducks and covers" WHEN BUILDINGS
COLLAPSE are crushed to death. People who get under objects,
like desks or cars, are crushed.

2) Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up in the fetal
position. You should too in an earthquake. It is a natural
safety/survival instinct. You can survive in a smaller void.
Get next to an object, next to a sofa, next to a large bulky
object that will compress slightly but leave a void next to
it.

3) Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be in
during an earthquake. Wood is flexible and moves with the
force of the earthquake. If the wooden building does collapse, large
survival voids are created.
Also, the wooden building has less concentrated, crushing weight.
Brick buildings will
break into individual bricks. Bricks will cause many injuries
but less squashed bodies than concrete slabs.

4) If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs,
simply roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the
bed. Hotels can achieve a much greater survival rate in
earthquakes, simply by posting a sign on the back of the door
of every room telling occupants to lie down on the floor, next
to the bottom of the bed during an earthquake.

5) If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by
getting out the door or window, then lie down and curl up in
the fetal position next to a sofa, or large chair.

6) Most everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse
is killed.

How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls fo! rward or
backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the door jam falls
sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you
will be killed!

7) Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different "moment of
frequency" (they swing separately from the main part of the
building). The stairs and remainder of the building
continuously bump into each other until structural failure of
the stairs takes place. The people who get on stairs before
they fail are chopped up by the stair treads - horribly
mutilated. Even if the building doesn't collapse, stay away
from the stairs. The stairs are a likely part of the building
to be damaged. Even if the stairs are not collapsed by the
earthquake, they may collapse later when overloaded by fleeing
people. They should always be checked for safety, even when
the rest of the building is n! ot damaged.

8) Get Near the Outer Walls Of Buildings Or O utside Of Them If
Possible - It is much better to be near the outside of the
building rather than the interior. The farther inside you are
from the outside perimeter of the building the greater the
probability that your escape route will be blocked;

9) People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road
above falls in an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which
is exactly what happened with the slabs between the decks of
the Nimitz Freeway. The victims of the San Francisco
earthquake all stayed inside of their vehicles. They were all
killed. They could have easily survived by getting out and
sitting or lying next to their vehicles. Everyone killed would
have survived if they had been able to get out of their cars
and sit or lie next to them. All the crushed cars had voids 3
feet high next to them, except for the cars that ha! d columns
fall directly across them.

10) I discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper
offices and other offices with a lot of paper, that paper
does not compact. Large voids are found surrounding stacks of
paper.

Spread the word and save someone's life...

[vertalop]

Pics

I have returned to the outside world with some haunting memories of people who have lost everything still struggling to survive. I hope that the work we did, which was just a drop in the ocean, made some of their lives a little better and I thank the volunteer crew of F-OICR for all their hard work and undiminished enthusiasm in difficult circumstances.

I attach pics of some of the landing sites that we visited and where helicopters are still making life possible for the survivors who continue to live there.

Vert.

[vertalop]

More Pics Soon

Ned arrived in Banda Aceh on Friday and we managed to do some air-to-air shots of the Puma in action. Don't those 355s go slowly! He's been busy over the weekend so I gather that we can also expect some formation shots of the South African 407s when he gets back to his Internet connection.

Watch this space!

Vert

[slizer58]

Tsunami Disaster Relief

Keep up the good work.

[Milt]

Pictures of the origin of the Tsunami.

Is anyone able to post recently obtained underwater photos of the disturbances to the seabed resulting from the earthquake.??

The Java Trench goes deep to about 5,000 metres close to the coast of Summatra. Understand that the epi-centre of the quake was deep in the Java Trench.

[Heliport]

Thanks for the pics Vert.

Although it must have seemed like an impossible task given the scale of the devastation, you personally must have saved many lives which would have otherwise have been lost in the aftermath.

Look forward to seeing more pics from you (if you've got any more) and from Ned.

Heliport

[vertalop]

To be honest I don't think that our modest contribution has directly saved any lives, but indirectly I hope that we helped.

I have to say that the apparent rivalry between various NGOs and even between different branches of the same NGO was a big disappointment. When a helicopter is not required for the day you would think that a request from a branch of the same (major international) organization from a different country would be granted without a moment's hesitation; sadly this is far from the case. However, the lovely lady in this photo is a gleaming exception. She is Dr Jemilah Mahmood the head of Mercy Malaysia. (Some may remember that she was shot while taking medicines to a children's hospital in Baghdad during the war.) Not only do many of the orphans in her camps look upon her as a surrogate mother, but she also manages to take care of helicopter crews that have been abandoned by the organisation they are supposed to be working with! Living alongside Jemilah and her volunteers was an inspiration and if anyone is wondering about a good cause to support then I have no hesitation in recommending Mercy Malaysia.

Vert.

[Phoenix Rising]

Here is a large selection of images shot over the past week while I have been in Banda Acey. They include the ride into BA, helos around the place working, incl Vertalop and Gabra1 flying the Puma, South African 407s and the one of the tall concrete tower with two guys standing at the bottom is right on the BA waterfront. There used to be a large ball of sorts on the top but the wave was over the top of this and knocked it off, gives you an idea of why the damage is so bad and so far inland. Any questions, just ask.

[Heliport]

Thanks again to Ned, Vertalop and Gabra 1 for keeping us updated.

Your commentary and photographs give us an amazing insight into the scale of the devastation, and the efforts to bring relief to the people suffering.


Heliport

[Gabra1]

Faces of Tsunami Victims