Aceh disaster leaves survivors traumatized<\/p>\n
Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh<\/p>\n
It's been 11 days since the quake-triggered tsunami hit Aceh, but
\nthe horrible nightmare continues.<\/p>\n
At nightfall, Mahdi Abdullah is busy packing, taking pillows,
\nblankets and food with him.<\/p>\n
\"We're evacuating,\" the 37-year-old man said.<\/p>\n
Taking his family with him, they will head to a busy field in
\nBlang Bintang, Aceh Besar. There, they will sleep under the stars
\nwith no tent to shelter them. At dawn they will return to their
\nhouse.<\/p>\n
Mahdi has become accustomed to his new routine since the
\nprovince was hit by a tsunami that claimed tens of thousands of
\nlives.<\/p>\n
Mahdi said his family was traumatized by the disaster,
\nespecially since the area keeps experiencing aftershocks.<\/p>\n
\"Just a little tremor and my children are screaming and crying
\nin fear,\" sighed Mahdi.<\/p>\n
To deal with the trauma, he decided to take his family to safe
\nground at nightfall. His weight has dropped seven kilograms in
\nthe past week.<\/p>\n
\"The most important thing for me is that my children are no
\nlonger traumatized,\" he said.<\/p>\n
A fresh earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale rocked
\nAceh on Wednesday, causing no major damage but an AFP reporter
\nsaid the quake was felt in Banda Aceh. The epicenter was 66
\nkilometers southwest of Banda Aceh, 33 kilometers under the
\nIndian Ocean floor.<\/p>\n
For Mahdi, this latest quake was bad news and considered it
\nnecessary for his family to stay outside longer.<\/p>\n
When Mahdi took his family to safer ground at night, Muhammad
\ndid the opposite.<\/p>\n
After the disaster, he took his whole family to the nearest
\nrefugee camp. They live on the bare necessities.<\/p>\n
\"It's better to face an earthquake and tsunami with many
\npeople rather than face it alone,\" said the 40-year-old man,
\nwhose house is intact but who feels safer staying at the camp.<\/p>\n
Muhammad said he still felt traumatized by the disaster. His
\nwife and child survived but he lost many relatives.<\/p>\n
\"I don't want to live in my house. Honestly, I am scared ...
\nthat's why I prefer to stay at the camp,\" he said.<\/p>\n
As many more people have been traumatized by the disaster, and
\nmany of the houses in Banda Aceh that did withstand the tsunami
\nhave been left empty by owners too scared to live in them.<\/p>\n
Some villages, like Lamlagang, Lambaro and Kuta Alam, are
\nempty, deserted by residents who prefer to live in refugee camps
\nor out in the open.<\/p>\n
When asked when would they return to their houses, Muhammad
\nonly smiled.<\/p>\n
\"We don't know, maybe when the situation returns to normal.\"<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/aceh-disaster-leaves-survivors-traumatized-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }