Aftershocks keep Nabire residents in fear
Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura
A series of aftershocks continued in the devastated town of Nabire, Papua, on Saturday, a day after a powerful earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale left at least 17 people dead and injured dozens.
The 89 aftershocks on Saturday morning, ranging from a magnitude of 3 to 4, forced Nabire residents to stay out-of-doors for fear of collapsing structures.
A senior police officer said residents erected more emergency shelters in open spaces to protect themselves from the scorching sun and rain.
"The residents are scared of the aftershocks, as the ground keeps shaking. They are constructing emergency shelters from whatever materials they can find, even plastic sheets and leaves, to protect them from the heat and the rain. The situation continues to be worrying," said Comr. Wempy Batlayeri, deputy chief of Paniai Police, which has jurisdiction over Nabire.
Wempy said the residents badly needed more tarpaulins and building materials for makeshift shelters, as the aftershocks are predicted to continue for another two weeks.
Residents were also in dire need of food supplies and medicines, as their current stock was running out, he added.
Medication and basic first aid supplies are a must, Wempy said, as residents could easily come down with various diseases from prolonged exposure.
Diarrhea, respiratory ailments and malaria commonly arise in areas hit by natural disasters, particularly during the rainy season.
As of Saturday, no emergence of post-disaster diseases were reported, but it was best to prepare for the worst, said Wempy.
Portable generators were also needed to restore the water supply and communications lines, which was cut during the quake.
A number of bridges were down following the tremor, restricting access to the town and compounding aid delivery to Nabire, Wempy added.
Meanwhile, dozens of severely injured victims were being treated at Nabire Hospital, and military personnel were in the area erecting shelters, he said.
Papuan officials, including Governor J.P. Salossa, visited Nabire on Saturday to observe the situation in the area.
Elieser of the provincial Health Crisis Center (HCC) said health workers had not encountered a shortage of hands in tending to the quake survivors, and were able to handle the situation sufficiently.
No additional fatalities were reported on Saturday, but officials fear that more bodies will be uncovered, as many people were reportedly trapped under the debris of collapsed buildings.
A search and rescue team was forced to stop their search for three people believed buried under rubble because of rain and incessant minor tremors.
Officials are awaiting further information from other subdistricts that were hit but the quake, Wempy told Deutsche Presse-Agentur.
He added that rescuers were still searching for three people
Friday's earthquake was the second to hit the area in the last nine months, tearing down buildings, starting fires and leaving thousands of people homeless.
The quake came two weeks after another rocked Alor regency in East Nusa Tenggara province, also in eastern Indonesia, killing 34 and leaving hundreds injured.