In the aftermath of the devastating 2004 tsunami, I experienced what I can only describe as a series of miracles while working as a disaster management specialist for ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency). My mission was clear: identify the communities most in need and find a way to reach them. Meulaboh, a town of 55,000 residents in northwestern Sumatra, Indonesia, quickly emerged as critical. With damaged roads, airport and a destroyed seaport, access seemed near-impossible.
At the Medan airpoort, I found flights to Tapaktuan—the nearest operational airport to Meulaboh—were booked out for 10 days. A Boston Globe journalist offered me a charter seat for $A1700 but as we negotiated, a Japanese journalist began outbidding me, driving the price up to $A2400. Just then, a man tapped my shoulder and offered two commercial tickets for the next morning at just $A200. I accepted immediately.
The following morning, my translator Rully and I flew to Tapaktuan with this helpful stranger, who was searching for his family in a coastal village. Upon arrival, we found chaos as people desperately sought transport north. Our benefactor helped us squeeze into an overcrowded Suzuki van headed to Meulaboh.
About 150km north, the driver refused to continue due to deteriorated road conditions. As Rully and I contemplated walking the remaining 40km to Meulaboh, a four-wheel drive vehicle stopped. Remarkably, one passenger had studied with Rully at a university 2500km away seven years earlier and recognised him on the spot! The family was heading to Meulaboh and drove us directly to the military compound.
We registered with the local military commander who was coordinating the disaster response, becoming the first NGO to do so. We conducted a rapid assessment that identified critical needs.
Unable to use my satellite phone due to weather conditions, I needed to return to Medan to report our findings. While speaking with Singaporean air force personnel about possible helicopter transport, a small plane landed on the damaged runway. I approached the pilot, who agreed to fly us back to Medan.
That evening, I filed my assessment with recommendations for ADRA’s response. By the next morning, ADRA Denmark had secured funding from the Danish government. I returned to Meulaboh in the same plane, carrying one-and-a half tonnes of relief supplies—the beginning of years of relief, recovery and rehabilitation operations.
Looking back, I’m humbled by how these seemingly random incidents enabled critical assistance to reach a desperate community. Whether you attribute it to divine intervention or the collective human spirit of helping those in need, this extraordinary sequence of events ensured timely aid reached those who needed it most.
