Three Days in Indonesia: Day 1

Chris Olver is a videographer with World Vision in Australia. He has flown to Indonesia to document the devastation caused by the recent earthquake.

We felt our first aftershock tonight. Apparently hundreds of minor shocks have continued to rock Padang since the earthquake last week, but this one was the first to have actually shaken us up at World Vision's emergency response headquarters. As it hit, the room froze, and then everybody headed toward the exits, our long day traversing the rubble strewn streets a vivid warning of what could follow.

I've been here for one full day now. Just 36 hours ago I was at home in Melbourne and just 36 hours before that I had no idea I would this soon be in the middle of a disaster zone. 72 hours is not a lot of time to gain perspective, but when faced with scenes like the ones in downtown Padang and the rural areas to the north, one gains perspective pretty quick.

Judging by the drive from the airport to World Vision's headquarters, it did not appear to be the big-scale disaster I had anticipated. No more than 20 or 30 buildings showed any signs of cracks, and only a handful were collapsed beyond repair. This, I would soon learn, is just how it is in Padang. For every house that is completely destroyed, there are often one or two identical houses just down the street without a scratch. It hardly seems fair.

As we headed for Padang Pariaman - one of the hardest-hit areas - I tried to prepare myself for what lay ahead. Everyone at home had anticipated traumatic scenes of mass devastation. Hoever, the truth was less dramatic, and at the same time, almost more devastating.

Padang Pariaman was not a built up area. There were no multi-story buildings that had collapsed; no one was trapped for days. In Padang Pariaman, it is full of small houses, with big families, many of whom did not have enough warning to get out in time. House after house was reduced to rubble and dust, and in every house that still stands remains a family that is too scared to return inside for fear of future quakes. It is quite literally a devastated community in every sense of the word, and yet, what greeted us as we arrived alongside a World Vision truck laden with emergency supplies? It was not a defeated community desperately clawing for the much-needed aid but an energetic and grateful community who had put the needs of their neighbours first, compiled lists of the neediest families and ensured that they received the first emergency packages.

But even our time in Padang Pariaman could not prepare me for the site that awaited back in Padang. The Ambacang Hotel has been a symbol of the city's devastation. It is estimated that 200 people were in the hotel when it collapsed and at least110 bodies have already been removed. Five days later and after two days of torrential rain, it is unlikely there will be any survivors found amongst the high piles of twisted metal and brick. The scene was like something out of a disaster movie, and it truly took my breath away. For the force of these quakes to be strong enough to bring down a hugh structure like the Ambacang must have been terrfiying.

Through these quakes and the subsequent mudslides, I have seen the power of nature literally change the urban and rural landscape of Sumatra. And I have seen the ways in which small donations can have real power to affect lives half a world away. The money from World Vision's preparedness fund and from the Indonesia Earthquake Appeal is delivering blankets and tarps, ensuring no more lives are lost as homeless families brave torrential rain. Tomorrow I will visit another World Vision initiative - the Child-Friendly Spaces - that work with children to restore their hope and joy after surviving a disaster like this.

Chris Oliver is a videographer with World Vision in Australia. He has flown to Indonesia to document the devastation caused by the recent earthquake. Since the disaster, World Vision has distributed blankets, food, water, tarpaulin, hygiene items and more to survivors of the earthquake. The aid agency hopes to reach nearly 10,000 households in Padang and Padang Pariaman and will open up 13 Child-Friendly Spaces for children in these communities.