March 15th, 2011
Arriving back in Honiara we finally heard more about the devastating earthquake(s) in Japan. This is what unfolded on our end in Munda, W Province.
Friday March 11th, just after having finished dinner in the home of Graham and Jenny Longbottom (the British doctors we were visiting in Munda) Graham got a call from the British High Commissioner in Honiara telling them about the tsunami warning.
It was quickly decided that the 70 bed hospital should be evacuated to the church building two km away and on higher grounds. It all went quite smoothly partially due to the early warning.
At 10:30 in the middle of evacuating patients, Dr. Jenny told us that the tsunami warning had been canceled, so we went home to bed with our back packs “on standby”. Then just an hour later Dr. Jenny knocked on our door to let us know it had been a false alarm, that we needed to come back to the church. Just after midnight after trying very hard to get some sleep on the hard and narrow pews, Dr. Jenny came and said we could go back to our house. Margreet and I moved back to our house at 12.30am, while all the patients stayed till six in the morning when everyone could be moved back to the hospital in daylight. You can imagine, this was not a “planned” event!! To become part of this, was an interesting and challenging thought.
(picture: one of the few times one is allowed to sleep in church!)
We had arrived that Friday afternoon and had already been to the next 'town' to purchase a 1200 liter water tank and associated hardware.
Upa (the maintenance man at the Helena Goldie Hospital) had arranged for three guys to help dig out a steel frame and 'replant' it for the new water tank. In the meantime we replaced gutters and did some much needed painting.
Water is a major issue for any hospital and when pumps start breaking down it becomes crucial to have some form of water storage capacity. Although there are quite a number of storage tanks around the complex they aren't used efficiently and half the gutters are in need of minor or major repair.
On Monday morning Upa and Henk spent three hours trying to repair the two broken down pumps: one electric and the other petrol. We were able to do some repairs, but there was no socket to remove the spark plug...so Upa went off on his bicycle to find his friend the electrician in the next village...it reminds us so much of Africa!
On Monday March 14th we were at the Munda airport at two although the flight was only scheduled to arrive at four.
Having a ticket is no assurance that one can get on. Seating is limited and it also depends on which aircraft is being flown that day. Henk didn't have a seat till an Islander was asked (told) to get off and fly the next day. (We flew in a Twin Otter, 19(!) passengers and the pilot and co-pilot.)
To read more about the interesting and challenging lives of
grahamandjenny.co.uk
In Honiara the Unger family was there to pick us up from the airport and after feeding us a nice light supper we went “home” to our apartment, unpack, do a quick load of dirty very damp laundry, take a long warm shower, and go to bed.
We have three more days here: a lot of small jobs still and most likely some airport runs as well. Next week will be the official opening of the new training center and quite a few visitors will be arriving for that event.
We are grateful once again for safety and health – not to be taken for granted!!!
Thank you for your continued prayers.
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