"we are poor.. but our lives matter"

Java earthquake which striked last saturday..

deathtoll: 5,100
6.3 on the Richter Scale

its so sad.. and we living in Singapore really got to count our blessings.. to think this morning i was commenting that i'm running out of clothes.. Lord, have mercy please...

Singapore's aid teams arrive in quake-hit Java

Singapore's disaster aid agencies have swung into action to help the victims of the Central Java earthquake which killed some 4,600 people and injured thousands more.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong conveyed Singapore's deepest condolences to the families of the victims in a telephone conversation with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Saturday evening. Mr Lee also offered humanitarian relief assistance, which includes US$50,000 worth of emergency supplies.

Meanwhile teams from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) have arrived in Indonesia to start relief work.

The SCDF's 43-member contingent is led by Major Anwar Abdullah and will include men from the Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART), medical personnel and three search dogs. Their team leader says the men's morale is very high and they are ready to execute their mission.

The team is made up of personnel who are experienced and new to disaster missions. They come under the codename Operation Lion Heart which is a round-the- clock standby contingent equipped to support countries stricken by major disasters.

Major Anwar Abdullah said: "I was in Nias during the North Sumatran earthquake, so it is going to be the same environment where there will be a lot of casualties. We have been monitoring the incident and the numbers are quite worrying. "This time around we bring along a platoon-load of rescue capabilities, rescue dogs, cutting and lifting equipment and detection devices.

"Every disaster has a different challenge, it's a different environment altogether. We can see it's a densely populated area. The area is very big, so it will pose us a different challenge."

On its part, the SAF is sending a 35-member medical team to the quake-hit area.

LTC Mohd Ramezan, SAF team leader for the Central Java mission, said: "What we are providing is primary healthcare, the provision of medical assistance for fractures, those found in accidents and emergency cases. The team will be there as long as we can make a useful contribution to the TNI authorities."

The two teams were sent off by the Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant General Ng Yat Chung and Civil Defence Commissioner James Tan. The teams will be working closely with the Indonesian authorities as well as international organisations and NGOs to administer medical assistance.

Besides these two teams, Singapore is also providing US$50,000 worth of emergency supplies including medical supplies, blankets and tents to be despatched to the affected area. - CNA/ir

and zack is on the 2nd wave
1st team was despatched yesterday
2nd team would be taking off anytime soon
so he is on standby 24/7 now
earliest he has to leave is tonight
and would be there for about 10 days

my man is going to save lives
i'm so proud of him

but i'm worried sick
terribly worried
sigh...