Sabang people rise from devastation<\/p>\n
Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Sabang, Aceh<\/p>\n
A number of tsunami victims in Sabang town, Weh island, Aceh,
\nhave begun building makeshift shelters for their families a few
\ndays ago, or about two weeks after deadly tsunami struck their
\nvillage on Dec. 26 last month.<\/p>\n
The makeshift shelters are very humble, built from material
\nleft after the tsunami.<\/p>\n
The shelters are made from wooden poles, logs and tin roofs.
\nThe shelters are erected on a higher ground, not far from their
\nformer residential houses, as could be found in Pria Laot
\nsubdistrict.<\/p>\n
The shelter is three to four meters wide. Used tin sheets are
\nused for the roof and walls. The shelter does not have any beds.<\/p>\n
Rahayu, a resident in Pria Laot subdistrict, said he preferred
\nto live in the makeshift shelter rather than in a displaced
\npersons camp, for privacy reasons.<\/p>\n
It will be much more convenient to live in my own shelter
\nrather than live with other families in a crowded tent, he said.<\/p>\n
Sabang city secretary Suradji Junus conceded separately that
\nthe city was in dire need of building materials.<\/p>\n
Before the tsunami, building materials were dispatched to
\nSabang from Banda Aceh and Medan, but the supply has stopped
\nsince the roads and bridges leading to Sabang have been destroyed
\nby the tsunami. Even sea transportation is not operating since
\nthe disaster struck the island. The disaster did not only damage
\nseaports in Sabang but also Malahayati seaport in Banda Aceh,
\nSabang's closest seaport. Two ferries that used to provide
\nservices for locals are unable to operate due to the damaged
\nseaports. \"The central government should help us,\" said Suradji.<\/p>\n
He said the city government was planning to build many
\nmakeshift shelters for the displaced people by February at the
\nlatest.<\/p>\n
\"Living in a displaced peoples camp is miserable. People can
\neasily contract communicable diseases there,\" he said.<\/p>\n
According to Suradji, Sabang people needed special attention
\nas many had been affected by the deadly tsunami. The tsunami
\ndestroyed 692 houses on the island, the westernmost island in the
\ncountry. It also ruined 10 places of worships, eight school
\nbuildings, five bridges and hundreds of government offices.
\nLosses total Rp 86 billion (US$9.5 million).<\/p>\n
At least 12 people were killed in the disaster, 34 others
\nmissing and six others seriously injured. A total of 3,659 people
\nare currently living in 17 refugee camps throughout the town, a
\ngood number of them come from surrounding islands of Aceh and
\nBunta islands. Sabang has a total population of 26,000 people.<\/p>\n
Despite the devastation, Suradji explained that the situation
\non the island had returned to normal. People have flooded the
\nmarkets and land transportation is bustling again.<\/p>\n
Sabang is back to normal quickly because the city was not
\nbadly affected by the tsunami. The areas badly affected were two
\nor three kilometers from Sabang beach.<\/p>",
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