Seven days into its deployment at Yogyakarta, the 54-member strong SCDF contingent continues to render support to the Indonesian authorities in areas of search and rescue (SAR), medical care, info-communications and logistical management of humanitarian relief.

With the shift of the focus of the operation from SAR to humanitarian relief as directed by the TNI representatives, the SCDF team had corresponding re-organised its deployment by committing more manpower and resources toward the provision of medical relief.

Three rescue sections have been deployed to assist the Mobile Medical Teams. Another section of rescuers were tasked with supporting the Field Medical Station while two sections of SCDF personnel are stationed at the Operations Base, ready to attend to any locals seeking medical attention or even prompts by the TNI for further assistance in SAR operations.

In the meantime, SCDF officers are also being deployed at the Solo and Adisutjipto Airports to continue to provide crucial backend support to the relief efforts. SCDF"s UNDAC* (United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination) representative, MAJ Alan Toh, is working closely with local authorities at the Solo Airport in ensuring the smooth transition of the influx of humanitarian relief items from the various donor countries to the quake-affected regions.

Separately at the Adisutjipto airport, two other officers who form SCDF"s APHP (Asia-Pacific Humanitarian Partnership) team are charged with the key roles of establishing and maintaining the communications network of the United Nations Reception Centre. Besides assisting with setting up the communication capabilities of the centre, the two-member team is currently also assisting in monitoring information of relief teams arriving at the airport from the Reception Centre, which by now is fully equipped with broadband internet access and local telephone facilities. The reception centre is also responsible for providing the latest updates gathered at Adisutjipto airport to the UN coordination centre in Kepatihan, Yogyakarta.

* The United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team is a stand-by team of disaster management professionals based in different countries which upon request of a disaster-stricken country, would be deployed to carry out rapid assessment of priority needs and to support national Authorities and the United Nations to coordinate international relief on-site. During disasters such as earthquakes, the UNDAC team has to be mobilized rapidly in order to effectively coordinate the search and rescue (SAR) teams together with the national authorities of the affected country.