Substantial help began reaching refugees in Indonesia's devastated Aceh province today amid depressing rain, and the US military arrived in force to speed the flow of critically needed aid.
Supplies started pouring into the airport at the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, yesterday, but much of it failed to get distributed to the nearly 110,000 made homeless by Sunday's massive earthquake and the powerful tsunami it triggered.
Hundreds of survivors gathered at the airport today to watch the hive of activity created by the arrival of five US Sea Hawk helicopters, Singaporean military Super Puma choppers and Australian and Indonesian Hercules transports.
The disaster is now known to have killed more than 80,000 people on northern Sumatra island, all but a handful of them in Aceh. Officials say the final toll may exceed 100,000. But while aid was now finally getting through to some of the needy after days of delay - a refugee camp at a mosque in Banda Aceh had ample supplies of food early today - many were still searching for help as the world saw in the new year.
"This is no time for celebration. I am now going to another refugee camp because I hear there is a food supply there," dishevelled survivor Armiah, 32, told Reuters as he walked in the town of Lhoknga, 12 miles west of Banda Aceh. He lost his wife, mother and two brothers when the tsunami destroyed his home in the fishing village of Khueh, but managed to rescue his five-month-old son as he clung to a tree.
Faced with the possible spread of disease from polluted water supplies and dozens of bodies lying untouched, filling the air with a nauseating stench, some survivors - many wearing face masks - were starting to leave Banda Aceh. But at the same time others were starting to return to try and retrieve anything that was left, with cars being towed out of the mud, more traffic on the roads and markets re-opening. Long queues were also starting to form for kerosene.
Nature itself continued to be unkind, with quake aftershocks overnight rattling homes and shelters, sending many people scurrying outside as early morning rain dampened spirits.
A UN health official said aid workers were seeing a lot of infected injuries among children, respiratory tract illness, diarrhoea and mothers struggling to feed their babies because they could not produce any milk.