Nias quake victims in dire need of food

Nias quake victims in dire need of food

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post/Nias

It has been four days since earthquake refugee Nujila Zendato and
her five children have eaten a proper meal, because food has not
been handed out to her and other displaced people.

That is what prompted her to storm on Friday the disaster
control center in Gunung Sitoli here and scream for food.

"We want rice! We haven't eaten for four days, we're all
hungry!" screamed the mother to Nias administration secretary FGM
Zebua.

Her demand was to no avail, though, as Zebua could not be sure
when the food relief would be delivered to the refugees.

"Be patient, ma'am.. the food is on the way here from Sibolga
(North Sumatra). We'll give it to all of the refugees," Zebua
said.

He said the rice supply here before the earthquake was only
around 50 tons, and that had already been distributed to several
districts. They are now waiting, Zebua said, for the relief
distributed by the Ministry of Social Services, which was still
apparently held up in Sibolga regency.

Hearing that information only angered Nujila further because,
as she claims, very few, if any refugees in Nias have been given
rice.

"There's no way that 50 tons were distributed. Many refugees
are still hungry. We've been surviving on bananas only," said
Nujila, who works as a farmer in Lalai village, Hiliduo district.

Along with her husband and their five children, she moved to
the mountainous area above Gunung Sitoli, after Monday's
earthquake destroyed their house. All of her family members
survived the temblor.

Data from the disaster control center shows that there are
20,000 refugees out of a total of over 422,000 in Nias regency.
That does not, however, include the refugees in South Nias
regency, which has population of around 300,000 people.

The refugees are living in terrible conditions, and most
complain of weakness and fainting spells due to a lack of rice.
Some have scoured around destroyed houses to find instant noodles
and other items.

Ridwan Koto, who is staying at a shelter for the West Sumatran
ethnic group at Gunung Sitoli elementary school with about 100
displaced people, says he feels fortunate if he can eat instant
noodles and share with other refugees.

"My house was not badly destroyed, so there was some food
left. Anything edible, we eat together. We'd die of starvation if
we had to rely on the government to distribute food," said
Ridwan, who lost two siblings in the earthquake.

Another West Sumatran refugee Hasmaini Sikupang, 41, said he
was sick, tired and embarrassed to look for handouts everywhere,
but even when he did, he could find nothing.

"It's either finished or has not arrived yet. I'm so confused.
We hope the government gives us some food soon," said Hasmaini,
who has been teaching at SMP 1 junior high school for 16 years.

Aside from rice, he said the refugees were hoping for clean
water facilities. Water has become scarce, to the point that most
people have to walk over two kilometers up a hill in order to
bathe.

Meanwhile, Minister of Social Services Bachtiar Chamsyah
said in his visit here that the trouble with the aid distribution
was related to transportation problems as roads and the runway at
the local airport had been badly damaged.

"There are around 365 tons of rice on the way to Nias and
South Nias. This stock should be sufficient for the refugees for
the next few months," Bachtiar said.