Flood victims say life in temporary shelters miserable
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.