{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1644407,
        "msgid": "from-mud-to-hope-disaster-survivors-we-are-back-this-is-our-home-1774882344",
        "date": "2026-03-30 21:14:02",
        "title": "From Mud to Hope: Disaster Survivors: We Are Back, This Is Our Home",
        "author": "Erdy Nasrul",
        "source": "REPUBLIKA",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Social Policy",
        "summary": "In the aftermath of devastating floods and landslides in Aceh Tamiang and Gayo Lues, survivors like Muhammad Hendra and Salim have rebuilt their homes through personal sacrifice and determination, despite delays in promised government aid. While emergency responses restored basic infrastructure within weeks, lingering suspicions of corruption in the distribution of temporary housing\u2014allegedly requiring payments for access\u2014undermine trust in official relief efforts. These stories highlight the resilience of rural Indonesian communities amid natural disasters and underscore the need for transparent and timely government support to foster true recovery.",
        "content": "<p>Morning in Tetingi Village arrives with a different kind of silence.\nA thin mist hangs between the pines, leaving behind the scent of damp\nearth that has not yet fully recovered from its wounds. In the distance,\nthe sound of hammer meeting wood rings out rhythmically, like a prayer\nstruck slowly. In this place, life does not truly stop; it merely gets\nswept away by the current for a time, then attempts to return, step by\nstep. In Aceh Tamiang Regency, similar stories grow from houses that\nwere once buried in mud. Muhammad Hendra still remembers how the floor\nof his home disappeared under deposits more than a metre high. He and\nhis family evacuated, waiting for the right time while gathering the\ncourage to return. For more than a month and a half, he cleared the mud,\nrepaired the roof, replaced the ceiling, until finally the house was\nhabitable again. All of this was done at his own expense, from selling\nhis wife\u2019s gold and borrowing from family. The promised aid has yet to\narrive, while daily needs cannot wait. Yet, behind it all, there is a\nsteadfastness that is not easily broken. \u201cWe returned because this is\nour home,\u201d he said softly. From Aceh Tamiang to Tetingi in Gayo Lues,\nthe landscape changes, but the story is similar. The old village, which\ngrew along the river tributaries in the Alas Watershed, has long been in\nharmony with nature while bearing its risks. Cold temperatures, raging\nrapids, and mountainous terrain are everyday realities. But when rain\nfalls without respite and the river overflows, that balance collapses in\nan instant. A total of 418 people were affected. Houses were destroyed,\nroads cut off, and electricity cut. Residents endured in simple shacks,\naccompanied by campfires and clothes clinging to their bodies. During\nthose days, life seemed to revert to its most primal form, surviving and\nwaiting. Help arrived less than ten days later. Alternative roads were\nopened, bridges repaired, and electricity restored. Slowly, the village\nthat had been cut off from the world reconnected. Three months of\nemergency response passed, leaving tangible traces of reconstruction:\nhouses standing, schools cleaned, and hope beginning to grow. However,\nbehind this revival lies an invisible anxiety. On a scorching afternoon,\nSalim, a survivor, stands in front of his new semi-permanent home, built\nfrom the remnants of materials swept away by the flood. He chose not to\nlive in the temporary housing provided by the government. Not out of\nreluctance, but because of the rumours circulating. There are\nconditions, he said; every family head is asked to pay a sum of money to\nreceive the key to the temporary housing. The rumour spread quickly,\nlike news finding its own path amid uncertainty. When officials arrived,\nthe previously displayed announcement suddenly disappeared. All that\nremains is suspicion.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/from-mud-to-hope-disaster-survivors-we-are-back-this-is-our-home-1774882344",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}