Monthly Archives: February 2005

Day 3 – Kurt Warner and Amani Toomer Visit Indonesia
J. Ethan Medley, NY Giants
February 13, 2005

Sunday morning got off to an early start for almost everyone in out tent, as the combination of humidity, mosquito netting and time zone differences had everyone unable to sleep past 4am. Amani, Kurt, Yola, and I grabbed chairs outside in an effort to take advantage of the only palatable temperatures that the day would offer. At 4:30, the calls to mosque sounded out from all sides of town and continued for over an hour. Four hours later, the day got off to an even shakier start, as a fairly mild, but sustained earthquake shook our camp. Not long after, the vibrations returned during aftershocks. We were told later that the quake registered in the 5′s on the Richter Scale. It was enough to shake our tents and chairs, but not quite big enough to cause any damage. READ MORE

Day 2 – Kurt Warner and Amani Toomer Visit Indonesia
J. Ethan Medley, NY Giants
February 12, 2005

Today was our second day in Indonesia, and started with a 6AM flight from Jakarta Halim Military Airport to the coastal region of Banda Aceh on a United Nations Humanitarian Air Services plane. This gave us our first glimpse of the damage caused by the tsunami as we flew over the coastline. Vast amounts of coastal land are blackened and vacant, with the exception of an occasional structure that was sturdy enough to withstand the water’s force. Contrastly, there are areas immediately next to this land, that the water did not reach, which are spectacular to the eye: vibrant green rice patties, villages built amongst palm trees and mountains covered with vegetation that drops right into the blue ocean. READ MORE

Giants’ Warner and Toomer Arrive in Indonesia on 2-Week NFL Trip with World Food Program
J. Ethan Medley, NY Giants
February 12, 2005

JAKARTA, INDONESIA — New York Giants’ Quarterback Kurt Warner and his wife Brenda met up with wide receiver Amani Toomer and his wife Yola at JFK Airport on Wednesday evening, along with several members of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) and myself, to embark on a two-week trip to the tsunami-damaged regions of Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Four planes (one missed connection), 12 time zones, countless miles, and 34 hours later, we arrived in Jakarta, where we were greeted by local members of the WFP, and taken to a local hotel to get some much-needed sleep. READ MORE

Staggering numbers from this report: “The United Nations health agency is working with national authorities to ensure safe childbirth services in the coming weeks to an estimated 40,000 pregnant women left homeless as a result of the Indian Ocean tsunami in South Asia.” READ MORE