Aid to fire victims limited to three days<\/p>\n
Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
As if losing their homes was not enough, fire victims in Jelambar
\nBaru subdistrict, West Jakarta, will only be provided with
\nshelter in temporary tents for three days.<\/p>\n
\"The tents were set up by the West Jakarta Social Affairs
\nAgency and will only be here for three days. We don't know what
\nto do after that,\" said the community unit leader, Halimi, on
\nSaturday.<\/p>\n
Officers from the agency and the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI)
\nsaid that normally temporary shelter was only provided to fire
\nvictims for three days. After the three days were up, the
\nmunicipal administration would then have to decide on whether to
\nextend the period.<\/p>\n
Three tents, one of which is being used as a crisis center,
\nwere erected by the agency and the PMI after a fire razed at
\nleast 290 homes in the area on Friday at about 2:30 p.m. More
\nthan 2,000 people were left homeless by the blaze.<\/p>\n
However, the tents can only accommodated a limited number of
\nvictims. Most of them have had to set up their own temporary
\nshelters along the Grogol river using sticks draped with various
\nkinds of protective materials.<\/p>\n
On Saturday morning, the situation in the tents was chaotic as
\nmany people were still in shock from the fire.<\/p>\n
Men were shouting, calling for people in the neighborhood to
\nhelp them clean up the debris of their burned homes. Women were
\ntrying to calm their children as they cried for food.<\/p>\n
\"They haven't eaten anything this morning,\" said Suwarti, 52,
\npointing to her youngest son. The mother of four lost her home
\nbut managed to save her children.<\/p>\n
An officer from the agency, Ibu Darno, said that the victims
\nhad yet to get breakfast due to a lack of volunteers and money.
\nThe volunteers had left the scene early on Saturday at around
\n2:30 a.m., and arrived back at 9 a.m.<\/p>\n
\"We can only provide them with two meals a day -- lunch and
\ndinner. We don't have enough volunteers or money,\" she said,
\nadding that she was hoping for donations from the public.<\/p>\n
So far, the agency has provided 600 kilograms of rice, 30
\nboxes of instant noodles, 12 boxes of cooking oil, and mats and
\ncooking utensils.<\/p>\n
\"We can only cook rice and noodles for them. There's not
\nenough money to buy meat or vegetables. We hope individual or
\ngroup donors will help provide these as the victims need
\nnutritious food,\" Ibu Darno told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
The victims are in dire need of food, clothing and clean
\nwater.<\/p>\n
\"We haven't had a bath since last night as there's no water,
\nlet alone clean water, available,\" said Siti Bariah, one of the
\nvictims who lost all her worldly possessions but luckily managed
\nto save herself and her children from the blaze.<\/p>\n
The PMI also provided aid to the victims with more than 10
\nvolunteers handing out emergency medicine and clothes.<\/p>\n
\"It's very kind of them (the social affairs office and the
\nPMI) to help us with food and water. However, we really need
\nplaces to live. We can always find our own food,\" said another
\nvictim, Aci.<\/p>\n
The victims are still in the dark as to what will happen to
\nthem on Monday as officials from the municipality have said
\nnothing about what will become of their former homes.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/aid-to-fire-victims-limited-to-three-days-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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