Within 24 hours of the massive earthquake that shook Sumatra, Indonesia, on 30 September, Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) were flying in urgent medical supplies and assisting survey efforts to assess the damage.
MAF’s Sumatra-based Cessna Caravan carried a relief team from Operation Blessing International (OBI) to the scene of devastation.
Stan Unruh, MAF’s Programme Manager in Sumatra, reports that presently ‘We are working primarily with OBI, but the phone is ringing off the hook with requests from the Red Cross and others.’ The situation is being evaluated and additional staff are ready to come if needed.
MAF is currently providing flights from Pekan Baru to Padang, close to the epicentre of the earthquake. Easily accessible from Jakarta and other places, the present plan is to stage MAF’s emergency response operations from Pekan Baru.
The 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck at 5:16pm local time off the west coast of Sumatra, 29 miles north-west of Padang. Dozens of aftershocks followed, two of a 6.0 magnitude.
The death toll is predicted to be in the thousands.
MAF in Sumatra
MAF began flying in Sumatra in response to the 2004 tsunami that devastated the Aceh area of northern Sumatra. MAF was one of the first to respond to the disaster, initially sending aircraft and personnel from their programme in Kalimantan. MAF also provided communications services to support the relief efforts.
MAF have served in Indonesia since 1954. Government officials have invited MAF to extend its operations indefinitely in the province of Aceh, Sumatra.
The programme operates a Cessna 206 and a Cessna Caravan from their base in Medan.
Note to editors
Supporting the work of over 1,000 organisations, Mission Aviation Fellowship has been flying in the developing world for over 60 years. Flights support healthcare, education, and relief work, as well as missions and churches.