Aceh disaster leaves survivors traumatized

Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

It's been 11 days since the quake-triggered tsunami hit Aceh, but the horrible nightmare continues.

At nightfall, Mahdi Abdullah is busy packing, taking pillows, blankets and food with him.

"We're evacuating," the 37-year-old man said.

Taking his family with him, they will head to a busy field in Blang Bintang, Aceh Besar. There, they will sleep under the stars with no tent to shelter them. At dawn they will return to their house.

Mahdi has become accustomed to his new routine since the province was hit by a tsunami that claimed tens of thousands of lives.

Mahdi said his family was traumatized by the disaster, especially since the area keeps experiencing aftershocks.

"Just a little tremor and my children are screaming and crying in fear," sighed Mahdi.

To deal with the trauma, he decided to take his family to safe ground at nightfall. His weight has dropped seven kilograms in the past week.

"The most important thing for me is that my children are no longer traumatized," he said.

A fresh earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale rocked Aceh on Wednesday, causing no major damage but an AFP reporter said the quake was felt in Banda Aceh. The epicenter was 66 kilometers southwest of Banda Aceh, 33 kilometers under the Indian Ocean floor.

For Mahdi, this latest quake was bad news and considered it necessary for his family to stay outside longer.

When Mahdi took his family to safer ground at night, Muhammad did the opposite.

After the disaster, he took his whole family to the nearest refugee camp. They live on the bare necessities.

"It's better to face an earthquake and tsunami with many people rather than face it alone," said the 40-year-old man, whose house is intact but who feels safer staying at the camp.

Muhammad said he still felt traumatized by the disaster. His wife and child survived but he lost many relatives.

"I don't want to live in my house. Honestly, I am scared ... that's why I prefer to stay at the camp," he said.

As many more people have been traumatized by the disaster, and many of the houses in Banda Aceh that did withstand the tsunami have been left empty by owners too scared to live in them.

Some villages, like Lamlagang, Lambaro and Kuta Alam, are empty, deserted by residents who prefer to live in refugee camps or out in the open.

When asked when would they return to their houses, Muhammad only smiled.

"We don't know, maybe when the situation returns to normal."