Recovery engineered

Digging deep: Spr Stephen Higginson, of 3CER uses a backhoe to clear debris from a drain. Photos by Cpl Cameron Jamieson, Army newspaper.

By Cpl Cameron Jamieson

YOU would be excused for looking at the devastation in Banda Aceh and thinking the situation was hopeless.

The scale of the destruction created by the Boxing Day earthquake and tsunami left many survivors thinking the task of clearing away the rubble and starting again was too big.

To add to the problem, the constant monsoonal deluge meant the quagmire that covered more than half the ruined city would continue to resist any attempts to reclaim Banda Aceh from the destructive forces of nature.

From the start of the ADF’s assistance to the government and people of Indonesia, Army engineers have been at the forefront of disaster relief operations.

Within days of receiving the word to go, the engineers had established a water purifi cation system that supplied the only potable water in Banda Aceh.

With the arrival of HMAS Kanimbla the engineer task group expanded to include fi eld engineers, topographic survey troops, plant operators and more water purifi cation systems.

The engineers have had to witness their share of the carnage as countless bodies were removed from the waterways and the mounds of debris. Recovery of the bodies is left to the Indonesian military and the Red Cross.

CO 1CER Lt-Col Ian Cumming said the contingent had been involved in clearing areas and providing water, not just to individuals but to organisations like the UN and the Red Cross.

“At one of the internally displaced persons’ camps we’ve been constructing latrines and water supply systems,” Lt Col Cumming said.

“In the middle of town we’ve been picking up boats and wreckage, clearing the streets so the people can get back to their normal lives.

“We’ve been helping the hospital get up and running, trying to fix its water supply and electricity systems, while at the technical college, where we’re based, we’re helping with the clean-up to get the school back on its feet.

“An enormous amount has been done by the Indonesian Armed Forces and the government agencies, and we have contributed to that, but there’s a still a lot of rubble to move, a lot of wreckage to clear, and there’s probably still a lot of bodies to be recovered and buried.”

RSM WO1 Tony Quirk is impressed with the motivation of the team despite the diffi culties of the environment and the scenes of death and destruction.

“They can see the importance of their job, and every day they can see the difference they make for the local people,” he said.

“Our electrical and mechanical engineers are furiously maintaining our equipment to keep it up to standard, as well as repairing the damaged water tanks donated by the public works authority, so they can be sent out to the IDP camps to be fi lled with potable water for the needy to use.”

WO1 Quirk described the Indonesians as “a very resilient people”.

“I know they are hurting inside, and there is a lot of pain and suffering, but they are very focused on getting their lives back to as normal as they can be,” he said. “A lot of the time the locals will get in and give the boys a hand, and then they’ll go back and continue to work on their houses.”

As the days turn into weeks, Banda Aceh is slowly rising from the mud and rubble like the phoenix from the ashes.

Field engineer Cpl Alex French said, “It’s a good feeling to go back to the areas which have been cleared and think, ‘we did that’.”