Aftershocks keep Nabire residents in fear
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.