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CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM Kristina Grant and Sandra Shepard yesterday handled a few of the 20,000 stuffed animals collected for children in tsunami-stricken regions of Southeast Asia. Volunteers from the U.S. Pacific Fleet mobilized a donation drive at Pearl Harbor and off-base sites after learning that the crew aboard USS Abraham Lincoln gathered their personal collections of toys to give to the victims. The collected toys will be delivered by the HSV Swift 2, a high-speed Navy/Marine Corps vessel, which will also be carrying supplies donated from Mexico.

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Civilians
taking over
tsunami aid

Isle-based officials see
Indonesians helping themselves

UTAPAO, Thailand » Slowly and sometimes not always smoothly, civilian relief agencies are starting to take over the task of helping devastated communities recover from last month's tsunami and earthquake, two Hawaii-based disaster coordinators said in an interview today at the command center for the military relief effort.

On assignment Star-Bulletin reporter Craig Gima is traveling through Southeast Asia to report on relief efforts for people across 11 countries devastated by the Dec. 26 quake and tsunamis.

The initial response to a disaster is usually somewhat chaotic as different groups rush in to provide assistance, said Sharon McHale and Roy Brennen, who are working with the U.S. Agency for International Development to coordinate relief efforts between the U.S. military and civilian agencies.

However, civilian groups are beginning to contract with private companies for helicopters, and local charities are working on a grass-roots level to help people get back on their feet, they said.

"Things are starting to jell," on the ground in Indonesia, McHale said.

"It's not like they're looking for the military to do everything for them," Brennen said.

He noted that the military's help is still needed to provide basic services like clean water, food, shelter, sanitation and medical supplies.

However, "certainly the end is in sight," Brennen added. "Transition is already in everybody's mind."

CRAIG GIMA / CGIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Planes lined up on the flight line at Utapao Royal Thai Air Base where supplies are transported. The military help is needed to provide basic services like clean water, food, shelter, sanitation and medical supplies.

She said schools opening helps bring a bit of normalcy back into people's lives. Over the long term, U.S. aid will likely focus on helping people regain their ability to provide for themselves, she said. One example would be micro-grants that will help fishermen rebuild or buy new boats.

Brennen said the news media is not reporting enough on efforts by those affected by the disaster to help themselves get back on their feet.

Eventually, it will be up to the people who are now homeless to regain control over their own lives and for the governments of affected countries to take care of themselves, he said.

Countries like Thailand and Sri Lanka are ahead of Indonesia in the transition to recovery and rebuilding and being able to provide services. Indonesia suffered the worst damage from the earthquake and tsunami with more than 115,000 estimated to have died and about 695,000 displaced from their homes.

ASSOCIATED PRESS A boy stretched out his arms yesterday, asking for water delivered by a CH-46 helicopter of the USS Bonhomme Richard north of Meulaboh, Indonesia.

Brennen said relief organizations have concerns about this, because they do not want to be caught in the middle of a low-level conflict between the Indonesian military and separatist guerillas in Aceh, the worst hit province of Indonesia.

Still, Brennen said the U.S. military must be sensitive to the country's wishes.

"National sovereignty is important," he said. Most countries do not want a foreign military presence on their soil for an extended period of time.

Both Brennen and McHale also work for the Center of Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance at the Tripler Army Medical Center.

The center brings civilian humanitarian workers and military planners together in Hawaii to learn how to better respond to disasters.

Joint military exercises like Cobra Gold, which is held at this base in southeastern Thailand, also involve disaster training and civilian agencies.

The lessons learned in those exercises have helped the response to the real disaster, McHale and Brennen said.

Early on, the United Nations established an office at Camp Red Horse, the administrative heart of the relief operation. Other countries also have liaison offices here to better coordinate with each other.

Still, "there's never been anything on this scope or scale," she said.

USS Essex to join
Sumatra relief effort

UTAPAO, Thailand » USS Essex, a multipurpose amphibious assault vessel, and its fleet of helicopters is expected to arrive off the coast of western Sumatra in the next few days to relieve USS Bonhome Richard, which has been helping to bring relief supplies in areas cut off by the tsunami and earthquake three weeks ago, a top military planner said in a briefing yesterday.

The Bonhome Richard will then continue on a planned mission to the Persian Gulf.

In other developments, Lt. Col. Robert Krieg, lead future operations planner for Operation Unified Assistance, said the United States began using a new airfield this weekend on Sabang Island, 20 miles north of Banda Aceh, to bring in supplies for disaster victims.

The new air field is expected to relieve congestion at Banda Aceh airport and smooth the flow of relief goods.

Krieg also said another ship, MV Lummus, will be on scene off the Maldives, which has requested assistance in providing fresh water to tsunami victims.

So far about 19,500 U.S. military personnel are participating, along with militaries of 18 other countries in Operation United Assistance. Krieg said more than 3.9 million pounds of supplies have been delivered to affected areas as of Friday.

The operation is going "very well," Krieg said. "We've delivered a lot of supplies."