Nepal quake: Insaf Malaysia heads to villages near quake epicentre to help out

the star
BY LOH FOON FONG

KUALA LUMPUR: Most of the assistance to earthquake victims has been focused on Kathmandu and only limited aid has reached villages near the disaster epicentre in Lamjung, 80km from the capital.

It was for this reason that Insaf Malaysia decided to head to Gorkha and Laprak following the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit the Himalayan nation on April 25.

“If we could get a helicopter service and more doctors, we’d want to cover Sirdibas, Uhya, Barpak, Gumda, Lapu and Soti as well,” said Ishak Abdul Kadir, the president and founder of the technical relief NGO.

He, together with two doctors, a clinical psychologist, a nurse and a logistician, drove to Gorkha, 140km from Kathmandu, on May 2 through a narrow, winding road.

After attending a relief work coordination meeting the following day, they found out that the Nepalese did not have the logistics to move deeper into the villages, which could only be accessed via trekking or a helicopter.

After connecting with a captain of the Indian army, they got a helicopter ride from Palumta airfield to Laprak, where an internally displaced persons camp was located, and quickly treated 33 patients, mostly children and infants, in the one and a half hours before dark.

Helping hand: Insaf Malaysia team members led by Ishak (below) providing medical assistance to the victims in Laprak

The locals provided blankets while the Singapore police assisted with solar-generated electricity.

At the Laprak camp, 3,600 displaced persons from 600 villages lived in tents with their livestock.

The elderly, he said, did not go there for treatment because it was too strenuous for them to walk through the hills for five hours to reach the base camp.

“Some of the injuries had not been treated for days.

Ishak Abdul Kadir

“Some were sent to hospital by helicopter when they ran out of antibiotics,” said Ishak, adding that they saw 100 to 130 patients every day.

“Even when we did not have anything more to offer the villagers, a bottle of mineral water could bring them cheer.”

Those who wish to donate to Insaf Malaysia can do so via these account numbers – Maybank: 562188306090 or CIMB: 8600184578. For details, contact 03-4251 9444.

Superstorm Sandy turns lives of Malaysians in US east coast upside down

The Star, Thursday November 1, 2012

By LOH FOON FONG, TERENCE TOH and MARINA SUWENDY newsdesk@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: The damage and destruction caused by superstorm Sandy has thrown the lives of many Malaysians in the east coast of the United States upside down.

“Hurricane Sandy swept through the New York City violently, but we New Yorkers will be out in force the day after to give a helping hand to those in need!” said fashion designer Zang Toi, 51.

“It is quite crazy here!” said model Carolyn Li Ming Geh.

She however was thankful that her area, midtown east/upper east side, was minimally affected.

“It was really hectic before the hurricane with people scrambling to prepare for it and stock up on food,” she said.

Columbia University programmer Zarina Mustapha said she had made preparations the same way she did for Hurricane Irene in August 2011.

“I stocked up a little more than my weekly grocery shopping list, adding a more non-perishable food. I filled up water bottles with filtered water.

“My first concern was in case there would be loss of electricity, gas would go next,” said Zarina, who resides inland of Queens, New York.

... we New Yorkers will be out in force the day after to give a helping hand to those in need! - ZANG TOI

Jewellery company Paz Collective Director of Operations Tay Shar-Lyn, who lives in Forest Hill, Queens said strong winds knocked down some trees in his area.

Tay said she had to figure out a way of getting into Manhattan as she could not miss a third day of work since the subway service was disrupted.

Business development head Anuar Fariz, 31, who was stuck in New York after the John F. Kennedy international airport was flooded is keeping his fingers crossed that the airport would clear soon so that he could fly home.

Meanwhile Bernama reported that three Malaysian senators, Datuk Boon Som Inong, Datuk Muhammed Najeeb Abdulah and S. Bagiam, who had just attended the United Nations (UN) General Assembly meetings were also stranded after their flight home was cancelled.

They arrived on Oct 17 and were supposed to fly home on Monday.

Boon said they were informed on Sunday that all flights to and from New York had been cancelled.
However, Boon said the Office of Permanent Mission of Malaysia to the UN, was trying to get them on the earliest flight home.

Muhammed Najeeb said it was his first trip to New York and little did he know that he would also get a first-hand experience of the hurricane.

“Most of the time, we just stayed indoors. We tried to go out to buy some halal food, but all shops were closed,” he said.

Meanwhile, Malaysians living in the east cost of the United States, maintained communications with each other through SMSes and Facebook updates.

Nur Yasmin Mohd Nuri, from Boston, Massachusetts, said she had sent and received many text messages and telephone calls from her friends.

Social websites, such as “Malaysians in US” and “Malaysians in NYC”, were also deluged with greetings and updates from those affected by Sandy.

Some people lamented over the disruption of the transit service, including bus, subway and the commuter rail service.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/11/1/nation/12252748&sec=nation