SRC volunteer on Palu earthquake: It was hard to stand still
Relief workers describe experiencing tremors in Palu on Oct 9
The two Singapore Red Cross (SRC) volunteers were sleeping in Palu, Indonesia, on Oct 9, when the first tremor hit.
When the second more powerful one struck, all that both men could do was run out of the room shirtless with their passports.
Mr Karunanithi Letchumanan, 59, and his teammate, Mr Ibrahim Hasan, 23, were in Sulawesi for a relief mission.
An earthquake and a tsunami struck Sulawesi on Sept 28, killing more than 2,000 people, with about 5,000 still missing.
The men had arrived on Oct 6 in Palu as part of the SRC's advance team to distribute relief supplies and conduct ground assessments.
Mr Karunanithi was awake when he felt the minor tremor on Oct 9. Minutes later, a second tremor hit, and the windows and zinc roof shook violently.
Alarmed, Mr Karunanithi woke Mr Ibrahim up, and they sprinted out of the building shirtless, holding their passports.
Mr Ibrahim said: "The windows and roof were making such a noise, I can't even describe it. It was hard to even stand still."
The tremors they felt were part of a 5.2-magnitude quake.
They returned to Singapore on Thursday last week.
They said many victims had suffered from broken limbs.
The pair also went to Petubo in the outskirts of Palu, where houses were sucked under the mud due to soil liquefaction.
For Mr Ibrahim, a second-year Singapore University of Social Sciences student, his first relief mission was an eye- opener.
He said: "I saw a little boy sprawled on the ground. He told us his father was searching for something but didn't know where he was. And his mother and siblings were killed by the liquefaction. After the trip, I appreciated the things around me more."
Although Mr Karunanithi had been on previous rescue missions, before and after joining the SRC in 2010, the sight in Palu was still hard to bear.
He said: "I saw a man, one of his legs was broken, and the other leg was swollen and full of pus. He was in a lot of pain."
As they were not medically trained, they could help only by carrying the man to the medical centre.
Mr Karunanithi said: "Sometimes, you feel a sense of helplessness because there is not much you can do for them, especially in countries where natural disasters are frequent. But I like to do what I can because every bit of help counts."
Last Thursday, Mr Karunanithi received the SRC Commendation Award at the annual SRC Awards for his sustained voluntary service to SRC.
He was one of 23 individuals and eight corporate groups who received awards presented by the guest of honour, President Halimah Yacob.
She said: "As we build a caring and compassionate society, we should encourage those who are better off to contribute their time, skills and resources to help the vulnerable.
"I am heartened by SRC's enduring efforts in promoting philanthropy and volunteerism in Singapore."
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