Pacifican Chris Ranken's charity work with Electric Lamb has become more than a one-time effort

By Chris Hunter - Pacifica Tribune

It's been a year since the cataclysmic tsunami devastated an enormous region of the planet from Indonesia to India, killing nearly a quarter million people.
The outpouring of humanitarian good will generated by the catastrophe was one of the highlights of 2005, although clearly inspired by one of modern history's worst disasters.

Pacifica resident Chris Ranken was one of the many people who decided to pitch in and help. Unlike most of them, his charity action turned into an ongoing part of his life.

"I just wanted to go over there," says Ranken, who also serves as a Pacifica Planning Commissioner. "My first thought was to go to the Red Cross. But I read about the Electric Lamb in Newsweek. I decided I could have more of an impact with a smaller organization."

The Electric Lamb Mission is a unique humanitarian organization created by Rick Cameron and Jane Liddon to assist the people in Western Sumatra who were affected by the tsunami. Australians who managed a seagoing tourist ship named "Electric Lamb," the couple morphed into truly dedicated humanitarians, making a big difference in Sumatra during the freshman year of their organization.

"Chris Ranken contacted us a few days after the quake and was incredibly helpful with our efforts to network to spread the news about Aceh to a world looking the other way," says Cameron in a Tribune interview. "Chris is an ex-fireman and has a lot of emergency training and he quickly realized that he could not sit at home in the face of this unprecedented tragedy. He put his engineering practice and private life on hold, jumped on the first available flight and helped us mobilize our 800-ton mother ship, Batavia, in the dreadful days after the tsunami hit.

"We asked him to fly direct to Jakarta where we were loading the ship and then left him in charge of organizing the loading and security aboard while we rushed around town securing sponsors and aid supplies.

"He spoke no Indonesian and had zero experience with ships so we had no idea how he would cope. Chris remained unflappable and efficient in the midst of the most chaotic situation a volunteer could ever experience! He was amazing! We left him aboard for the first leg from Jakarta to Padang and by the time the ship arrived, he had the crew well in hand, a complete inventory and loading plan drawn up! Everything was stacked neatly and he knew exactly where to find all the thousands of items we had loaded in the frantic rush in Jakarta. He is one of the many unsung heroes of the Aceh relief effort."

Ranken was so successful in making himself useful to the Electric Lamb Mission, that he became part of the group. He now represents Cameron's efforts in California.

"He's just a great guy," says Ranken of his new colleague. "I can't think of enough things to say about him."

Ranken's involvement included loading supplies, voyaging up the Sumatran coast, delivering water purification systems and providing ground support whenever possible. He witnessed firsthand the unimaginable devastation in the most remote parts of the country.

"I was one of the people doing everything," says Ranken. "I don't really like to specialize. So, anyone who comes in with some skills, instantly goes near the top. Then, I wanted to stay involved. We all want to make a difference. This is one way I can do something good for the world."

Ranken actually helped Cameron set up his charity as a non-profit organization. "I told him you have to get this registered," says Ranken, who then used his business and government skills to facilitate Cameron's vision.

Remembering his initial visit to Jakarta, Ranken admits he dived right in and took control of an unusual situation. "I don't mind being lost out of my culture," he says. "It was a challenge. I kind of relish that situation. And Rick was impressed. There have been so many different ways I've been able to help."

Ranken has traveled to Sumatra several times during the year, working with Electric Lamb and reconnecting with the people he has tried to help. He admits that the devastation is mind-boggling. Flying over the coastline, he saw nothing but disaster for 100 to 200 miles. "This was incredible," he now says.

But Sumatra wasn't the only place Chris Ranken tried to help this year. He took off for New Orleans after the hurricanes destroyed much of the American Gulf Coast in the fall. Initially thinking he would do research work for Electric Lamb, Ranken wound up pitching in and helping with the Red Cross. He realized that the Electric Lamb Mission had to continue to focus on Sumatra. "Well, it's the Third World," he says. "Americans are pretty darn generous, but in Sumatra, the scale is so much greater. It's ongoing."

Nonetheless, Ranken was able to help out in New Orleans while experiencing another disaster relief effort; both will aid him in his ongoing work with Electric Lamb. Again, he enjoys the fact that with Electric Lamb, he has a more meaningful leadership position. "There's a surprisingly small circle of people at the top," he says. Ranken is doing everything from fund-raising to checking out boats that the organization may one day purchase. He has, in essence, become the focal point for Electric Lamb in the United States.

At 47, Ranken is philosophical about his humanitarian efforts. Locally, he contributes through his work on the Planning Commission. He also ran for California Governor during the recent recall election. (Someone named Schwarzenegger beat him, although perhaps Ranken would have done a better job.)

"I'll do everything I can to get another ship for Electric Lamb," says Ranken. "Electric Lamb can do a really good job of helping in Sumatra. And because there's a likelihood of future earthquakes, having a vessel there is important. It would be a large ship patrolling the coast, like a floating relief supply ship."

His goal is to make a difference and working with Rick Cameron has given Chris Ranken a direction to do just that. "One thing that stands out is that everybody wanted to help," he says of the tsunami destruction. "It's a more spectacular thing to help out with. It's the epic natural disaster of our time. The tsunami bumped the people's standard of living down to tarps for tents. It's how they are living now."

Ranken is planning another trip back to Indonesia in early 2006. "I'm looking forward to my next trip back to Singapore and Indonesia," he says. "I'll be leaving immediately after the January 3 Planning Commission meeting. There were three promising developments on funding for us this week, so I'm in a good mood now."

For details on the Electric Lamb Mission, visit the comprehensive website at www.electriclamb.org.

Here is an article written by Chris Ranken and Rick Cameron back in January 2005. It presents an insight into what the Electric Lamb Mission faced, and continues to face, even a year after the tsunami tragedy.

Kampung Sawang - A Tragic Situation

By Chris Ranken and Rick Cameron

No matter how much anyone does for the people of northwest Sumatra - no matter how much food and water and medicine and tools and supplies anyone brings - things can never be the same again. The coastal hamlet of SAWANG near the village of LANGUAN shows this painfully.

156 people lived in this idyllic seaside kampung. Residents lived on fish, vegetables, and fruit, and tapped their rubber trees to sell in the city of CALANG, 15 kilometers away.

The tsunami hit the village with full force. 114 of the 156 died. 42 survived: 38 men, one woman, and three children. All the surviving men lost their wives and all their children; all the surviving children lost both their parents; and the lone surviving woman lost her husband and children.

All of the leaders of the community died. A village elder, apparently the new spokesman, told us, "I can't think, and we don't know what to do now." Half of the villagers, out of desperation, set out yesterday on the day-long walk to the CALANG. They hope to bring back food to their village - but CALANG itself was absolutely devastated by the tsunami, which killed most of the residents of that beautiful and thriving town of 15,000.

The survivors are in great pain, and there appears to be no way out. A month after losing his parents, the three-year-old still cries almost continuously for them. Sometimes he stops to call out for his drowned father, "Ayah, Ayah," and then starts crying again.

So there they are, a group of 42 unrelated people, almost all men. Their village is now little more than an encampment; they are living in makeshift shelters on a hillside. They are several kilometers from any other sign of civilization. They subsist on coconuts, fruit from a few trees, and what's left of their vegetable garden. In some ways, they are better off than other villages: they still have tools, and a well with fresh water. But their rubber trees are not worth tapping; there is no way for them to get the latex to market. And of course, all their fishing boats and equipment are gone - washed away by the sea that has sustained them for generations.

Until our arrival yesterday, this community had seen no aid at all, save for one insufficient food drop from a helicopter. We immediately brought them two small boats full of food, lamps (with kerosene), clothes, and hygiene supplies. They still have an urgent need for roofing iron, seeds, and more food, and we will continue to supply them in the future.

Those that have survived to this point are reasonably healthy, although there is one suspected case of malaria. But there are many flags visible along the beach, marking the gruesome remains of the many victims still not buried. We will return to the encampment today with body bags, gloves, boots and masks.

But despite what we give them, the community seems lost and hopeless without its women. To rebuild their community in a physical way seems feasible, but how can anyone measure the loss of all of their wives and children?

There are countless small kampungs like SAWANG, scattered along this devastated coast. Some of the villages came through a little better; some, a little worse. But for the hard working people of this area, life will never be the same. It's hard to imagine their lives will ever again be as full as they were when they woke up to a normal village morning on December 26th, 2004.

May 2006 Bring Hope & Comfort to Our Friends in Aceh and Nias

Take a few minutes on this special day to think about the thousands of tsunami and quake victims who are still struggling unsupported to rebuild their lives.

ELM-UVI field volunteer Zach Shields a virtual volunteer Christopher Podell have produced an amazing video and image record of our work with communities in NW Aceh and Nias.

Sit the family down in front of a broadband linked computer and open this link:

http://www.notseennotheard.com

Over the Christmas/New Year break, open the gallery and let your kids select the interviews that interest them. So much of our work focused on children and so much more is yet to be done. Tomorrow is the anniversary of the Great Indian Ocean Tsunami and our thoughts will be with those who lost so much.

Best wishes from Jane and I for 2006.

BRR PROJECTS SUPPORT NEED FOR ELM's I.C.S.

BRR have a new data-base on line for approved projects in Aceh and Nias.

http://rand.brr.go.id/RAND/

Two projects of particular interest can be downloaded from this site and are also available from our ELM public page. (soon, we are having some connection problems)

1. WFP Sea Transportation Project US$116+ m - 24 landing craft to service the West Coast of Aceh and Nias. Note that the ports to be serviced are listed. These large landing barges can not access the Patek/Loh Kruet stretch of coastline because of dangerous landing conditions. The same problems apply on the West Coast of Simeulue, the Banyak Islands and many parts of the coast of West & North Nias.

2. Catholic Relief Services - Lamno Calang Road Repair and Urgent Small Works Program - US$11 m. The proposal requests urgent funding to repair/replace bridges and large sections of the the temporary road damaged by floods and poor drainage. This section of road passes through extremely difficult terrain and CRF estimate that a permanent all weather road will not be built for at least 4 years.

ELM has submitted a proposal to BRR - Isolated Community Support US$2.5 m, that complements these two very expensive projects and services the Aceh coastal areas confirmed as cut off as well as many other communities in even more isolated locations.

The news below does not reflect the lack of progress in the most isolated areas. Without transport nothing can be done for the estimated 20,000 victims who live far from the major towns and where roads are non-existant and sea transport is both dangerous and expensive.

December 16, 2005 - Jakarta Post
BRR says pace of rebuilding picking up
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Despite a slow start, progress has been made in tsunami-ravaged Aceh, with the pace of reconstruction picking up. The 65,000 people still living in tents should be residing in decent housing by the end of 2006, officials said on Thursday.

The head of the Aceh and Nias Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency (BRR), Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, said that some 16,200 new homes had been constructed so far and 13,200 are under construction, out of the 110,000 needed.

"The reconstruction effort is now running at an increasingly fast pace. We've built 5,000 houses per month since October. But 65,000 people still live in tents, so yes, we're still slow," he told a news conference as the agency released its one-year progress report.

Kuntoro said the main priority for next year was to provide decent shelter for all the displaced tsunami survivors.

While permanent homes for all those displaced would take more time, 20,000 transitional houses -- with aluminum frames and wooden floors -- will have been erected by early 2006.

The progress report shows the post-tsunami recovery efforts 12 months after an 800-kilometer band of Aceh coastline was devastated by the Dec. 26 disaster, leaving some 230,000 people killed or missing.

BRR, a ministry-level body set up in April to coordinate rebuilding, acknowledged that the government had been sluggish in formulating a response strategy.

More than 65,000 people were still living in tents, while some 50,000 others were still in temporary barracks, the report said. Around half a million people were initially displaced by the tsunami, but many have moved to stay with relatives.

The agency said 235 kilometers of 3,000 kilometers of damaged roads had so far been rebuilt, 335 of 2,000 damaged schools had been rebuilt or were under construction, and 13,000 of 60,000 hectares of agricultural land had been restored.

Funding has not been a problem for Aceh and Nias, as hundreds of international and local charities have pledged help. One year after the tsunami, US$4.4 billion has already been allocated to over 1,000 projects.

Currently, $775 million of the funds had already been spent, with the largest share coming from NGOs and donor countries. Monthly disbursements will have increased to about $150 million by the end of this year and will likely rise to $200 million per month during 2006.

It is expected that the Indonesian government, donors and NGOs will ultimately contribute between $8 billion to $10 billion to rebuild Aceh and Nias through to 2009.

There are many sectors, however, with insufficient funding, such as communications, energy, transport and environment.

Education and health services are recovering fast, but lagging in the west coast, the report said.

Restoring livelihoods after losses of some US$1.2 billion in the fishing, farming and manufacturing sectors has been another major challenge, with the construction boom providing many jobs that will not be sustainable in the long run.

Fishermen are meanwhile likely to need fresh assistance.

The report also said 18,000 of the damaged 80,000 hectares of agricultural land and ponds had been restored, 3,122 of the needed 4,717 fishing boats had been supplied, and 40,000 of 60,000 farmers had returned to their land.

However, most of the boats were not expected to last beyond 18 months due to their poor design and substandard materials.

As the reconstruction moves into its second year, the BRR called for better coordination among stakeholders.

"It is time to get beyond sentiments of 'my project, or yours' and recognize the need for active coordination," the report said.

More than 400 local and international charities are operating in Aceh and the BRR has threatened to "name and shame" those who fail to deliver on their pledges.

Return to ELM's home page.

In Memory of my dear Mum

Wife of Bob, Mother to Chris, George, Bruce, Kath, Mary and I,
Gwenyth passed away last Tuesday in Bull Creek, West Australia.
She was an amazing woman and a wonderful Mum.

Scientists Voice Tsunami Concern

By Jonathan Amos
BBC News science reporter, San Francisco

A US scientist studying the islands off southern Sumatra says it is very clear the region can expect more big quakes and tsunami in the coming decades.

Prof Kerry Sieh is using a GPS network to monitor land movements close to the great fault line that ruptured to produce last December's disaster. His work indicates there is still huge strain bound up in the fault, and that this could let go in the near future.



He believes the cities of Padang and Bengkulu may be at greatest risk.

"The time is now to start mitigating for such an event," said Kerry Sieh, who is attached to the California Institute of Technology's Tectonics Observatory.

"I don't know with certainty that it's going to happen but our team is telling people on the coast that they have to expect that this will happen in the lifetime of their children."



To the south
The 26 December quake of magnitude 9.2 stemmed from a rupture along the line where the Indian/Australian and Eurasian tectonic plates grind over each other.

Coastal trees are being submerged as the strain accumulates

The associated tsunami wrought destruction throughout the Bay of Bengal, from Northern Sumatra to Thailand, Sri Lanka, and India. It was followed by a magnitude 8.7 in March - with the rupture occurring further south along the plate boundary.

Prof Sieh, speaking here at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, says the concern of scientists is now focused on events further south still, to a region known as the Mentawai islands patch. This zone has experienced giant earthquakes about every two centuries, and is nearing the end of its earthquake cycle.




Coral rise
Prof Sieh says the strain building up in the region is evident from the behaviour of island coastlines - some are becoming submerged. It is in the nature of tectonic plates that they do not glide smoothly past each other, as one dives under the other.

After a quake, land that had been pulled down will pop back up
In fact, the plates move in "stick-slip" fashion, which means land at the leading edge of the overriding plate is pulled down briefly before suddenly slipping back up, generating a large earthquake.

Surveys along northern Sumatra following the 26 December and 28 March events have revealed coral reefs that have come out of the water as land has thrust back up.

"When you look further to the south, the groves of trees and other coastal features are still sitting out in the water; they have not yet risen. So, we know the strain is still accumulating; our GPS network is telling us it is still accumulating," Prof Sieh explained.
"Our concern is that the next thing to happen will be ruptures."

Wave model
Prof Sieh says historical and coral records show the Mentawai islands patch experiences magnitude 8-plus quakes on a roughly 200-year cycle, and are accompanied by large tsunami.
"It appears that these giant earthquakes either occur singly or in couplets: singly in the 1300s and late 1500s, and as a couplet in the late 18th Century and early 19th Century; and the average time between those three sets is about 240 years."



Modelling predicts up to 10m waves hitting the coast
Prof Stephan Grilli, from the University of Rhode Island, has modelled the tsunami that would result in the area from a magnitude 9.2 quake, the same as 26 December.
"Our prediction for Padang and Bengkulu further south would be up to 10m waves hitting the cities," he told the AGU meeting.

Both Padang and Bengkulu are bigger cities than Banda Aceh which was destroyed in the 26 December tsunami.

Like Banda Aceh, Padang is very low-lying.