Flood victims lament lack of aid in Bahorok

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Bahorok, North Sumatra

Around 400 families left homeless by the recent devastating flood in North Sumatra are complaining about a lack of food aid, while there appears to be irregularities in the distribution of donations to the victims.

Assistance continued to pour in from donors for the refugees in Bahorok subdistrict, Langkat regency, but they received less than what was due to them.

The refugees raised the complaint on Friday when Langkat Regent Syamsul Arifin gave a speech to express his gratitude to individuals, government and private agencies for their donations for the victims.

Durign his speech, a man suddenly shouted to the regent not to pile up the supplies in the Langkat capital city of Stabat and instead distribute them immediately to the refugees.

Syamsul admitted that food, including tons of rice, were stored in Stabat because if they were kept near the refugee camps, it could spoil due to the heavy rainfall.

Syarifuddin S. Sembiring, a refugee from Timbang Lawan village, said his family had so far received 30 kilograms of rice, one package of instant noodles and six blankets.

The assistance is not adequate to support his seven-member family, he added.

"At the refugee camp, we only eat instant noodles as we don't have any money to buy side dishes. It's extremely sorrowful, though we know many donors have come here to give money and other assistance. So, where did the money go if it was not distributed?" Syarifuddin told The Jakarta Post.

Data from the disaster relief agency in Bahorok shows that at least 142 individuals and agencies have so far provided assistance, including 63.66 tons of rice, Rp 119 million (US$14,000), thousands of packets of noodles and thousands of articles of used clothes.

Those amounts do not include the assistance that arrived on Friday. Almost every day, a convoy of trucks and other cars have come to the relief agency to deliver aid for the refugees.

In a related development, some refugees refused to accept the Rp 1 million in assistance offered from the local administration, arguing that the amount was not what was promised by the central government.

During his visit to the flood victims on Wednesday, Coordinating Minister of People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla said the government would provide them with Rp 1.5 billion. Part of the funds would be given to them in cash with the relatives of the deceased to receive Rp 2 million per family.

But one refugee Kadir, who lost three family members in the flood, said he rejected the Rp 1 million offered to him by relief officials.

"They had better kill us, too. It might be best for us," he added.

Regent Syamsul said the fund pledged by the minister was not disbursed yet and that the money, which had been distributed to the refugees so far, was part of the Rp 97 million donated personally by President Megawati Soekarnoputri's husband Taufik Kiemas, and Rp 300 million from the Minister of Social Affairs Bachtiar Chamsyah.

Syamsul and Bahorok subdistrict head Jaya Sitepu could not say why the food given to the refugees was inadequate.

Sitepu claimed he had ordered village heads to deliver the aid to the victims. "I don't know about the problem of distribution because it is village heads who are responsible for the direct delivery of aid to the refugees."

Grievances were also voiced by another victim Timbul, 40, from Bukit Lawang village. He said he was surprised by a government plan to relocate them.

Officials have asked us to pay Rp 3.6 million to get a new house or to pay them Rp 300,000 per month, he added.

"It's crazy. We have already suffered with the deaths of family members, and now they (officials) are even trying to play these games. Please help us and look at what we badly need," Timbul said.

The refugees are languishing in their camps after a flash flood ripped through the popular Bukit Lawang resort town in Bahorok last Sunday night.

Rescuers found six more bodies on Friday, bringing the death toll to 125 people, including 40 children, said the local disaster relief agency.

The agency said at least 132 victims were recorded as still missing after the flood blamed on rampant illegal logging in the Mount Leuser National Park.

Three days after the disaster, cottages in Bukit Lawang abandoned by their owners were looted.

Jok Purba, who owns Ekolos Bukit Lawang Cottages, said he incurred tens of millions of rupiah in losses due to the looting by unidentified people.

He blamed security forces for failing to secure the area.