Flood victims say life in temporary shelters miserable

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Stepping into a temporary shelter in the Grogol area, Jelambar subdistrict, West Jakarta, is a depressing experience for most.

It is not surprising, however, as thousands of flood victims had no other option but to hole up at the shelters as their houses have been unlivable for the better part of three weeks.

Floods have forced some Jakartans to return to their home villages in other provinces. Others complained about the miserable conditions at the shelters.

Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso announced a plan to deploy psychologists to help with the stress that some are feeling, but the big issue is that the victims want their normal life back.

"Believe me, it's really a nightmare," said the 56-year-old Ibu Reni, an evacuee in Grogol.

Reni, along with her daughter and granddaughter, have been at the shelter, which is only 1.5 kilometers away from their house, since the first day the floods hit the city on Jan. 28. The water level peaked at 1.5 meters on Feb. 1.

They managed to return home for three days when water began to recede. The whole family had cleaned up the mud from their house and washed some housewares and clothes before the floods returned again last week.

Consequently, they were forced to return to the shelter.

"It's very inconvenient here. We have to share everything with other evacuees. I have to wait in line for meals or to bathe. I can't even have a private conversation with my own daughter as there are so many people around us," she grumbled.

"It's doubly annoying because my house is so near this shelter," said Reni, whose favorite chair, TV and radio were ruined by the floodwater.

Similar depression was also experienced by Juwi, an evacuee in Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta. He, along with his wife and his two-year-old son, moved to the shelter after the water reached two meters and submerged their house.

"Nobody ever wants to be an evacuee, especially in your own neighborhood. Everybody wants their normal life back. I've been here for more than 15 days and I haven't had a good night's sleep once," complained Juwi, who used to work as a mechanic in a small motorcycle garage.

He said he couldn't go home sooner, like some of his neighbors, because his house was severely damaged.

The inadequate facilities at the centers did not only cause inconvenience for the evacuees. It also caused post-flood diseases for children like influenza, diarrhea and fever.

The condition is worsened due to the large amount of uncollected garbage inside the shelters where everyone sleeps.

However, many insist upon staying at the shelters as their houses were damaged by the floodwater. Some are able to repair their houses but others are not.

The administration announced earlier that it would give Rp 200,000 to each poor resident with a damaged house. However, it is still unclear when the administration intended to disburse the funds to the victims and who would be defined as a poor resident.