Quake victims find shelter in Batam

Fadli , The Jakarta Post, Batam

Traumatized and hungry and waiting for government aid that never came, Serupa Sarumaha breathed a sigh of relief after his wife and three children reached a community shelter in Batam city on Tuesday.

Along with 15 other refugees, the 26-year-old from Bawah Loa Lani vil lage in Teluk Dalam, South Nias, arrived at the barracks run by the Nias Oikumene Community Organization. Serupa said he and his family were still in shock after the earthquake.

They had left for Batam with little money in their pockets but with hope as they knew there were some Nias people in Batam willing to help them, he said.

"We were starving there; not getting any food aid. We were also scared of the aftershocks," Serupa told The Jakarta Post late on Wednesday.

The group traveled from their village onboard a barge to Sibolga in Tapanuli Tengah, North Sumatra. From there they took a six-hour trip by bus to Dumai in Riau and a ferry to Batam.

"My house is completely ruined. All of my belongings are gone. Fortunately, my children are still little and don't ask too many questions," the trader said.

Another refugee, 22-year-old Adi Layla, said it was hard for the residents to get food, such as rice, after the quake. He and his family only received biscuits and mineral water from a nearby aid post.

"I am used to eating rice, as how can I live on biscuits only. I left because I didn't want to stay hungry," Adi said. "I was also scared about the aftershocks. I heard there were Nias people in Batam who are willing to take us in," he said.

The Nias community organization in Batam predicted that more quake victims would arrive in the city, saying that many were calling the center, wanting out of the quake-hit island.

"They come here because they're not getting help in Nias. They arrive here hungry. I regret the government's slow response to assisting quake victims in Nias," said group member Iskandar Dachi.

Until Wednesday, the shelter accommodated 16 quake victims -- 10 adults and six children, all them coming from Bawah Loa Lani village.

The organization's chairman, Yaaro Zebua, said the organization would keep taking in the quake victims into its shop-house-turned shelter.

"We don't know until how we'll accommodate all of them here. For the meantime, we can provide their meals, but we also ask the government to pay attention to their future," Yaaro said. "It's sad to know that they're starving."

The 8.7-magnitude quake rocked the island last week, destroying most buildings and claiming more than 500 lives.