Quake victims need more tarpaulins
Yemris Fointuna and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post/Kupang/Jakarta
Thousands of people on Alor island in East Nusa Tenggara who have been left homeless by a strong earthquake on Friday are in dire need of tarpaulins, while the death toll in the disaster has risen to 27.
Provincial social services bureau director Fransiskus Salem said on Wednesday that the quake victims required thousands more tarpaulins as only 1,000 had arrived in the area since the main quake jolted the island.
He said the residents were reluctant to start rebuilding their homes for fear of aftershocks.
"Many of the victims are currently staying in open areas or seeking shelter. They need tarpaulins to erect tents near their damaged homes," Salem said.
A relief team member, Gerson Imang, said the residents badly needed tarpaulins as heavy rain was likely to fall next week.
"They will have no protection from the rain," he explained.
Gerson said that continuing aftershocks remained a real threat. A man was found dead beneath a landslide that followed a number of powerful aftershocks that jolted the island on Wednesday morning.
Later in the day, a three-year-old girl died in the local hospital due to the severe injuries she had received following the main quake on Saturday.
The two fatalities, identified as Petrus Lauden, 30, and Yakomina Manimun, brought the death toll in the disaster to 27, with over 100 others injured.
"Aftershocks continue to be felt in East Alor, North Alor and Central North Alor districts, while in Kalabahi district the tremors have subsided," Gerson said.
The main quake and its aftershocks leveled over 5,000 buildings, mostly homes, and caused serious damage to 4,800 other buildings. Churches, mosques and school buildings are among the public facilities flattened by the quakes.
Gerson said rescue workers were facing difficulties in getting aid to isolated areas due to the absence of air transportation. The areas were no longer accessible by land, he added.
In Jakarta, the central government is calculating the amount of money needed to reconstruct the buildings damaged by the earthquake following a request from Alor regent Ans Takalapeta for Rp 100 billion (US$11.11 million) in rehabilitation aid.
Minister of Social Services Bachtiar Chamsyah said after a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday that he would verify the amount of money needed.
"As it concerns public accountability, we have to check whether it is true that the earthquake damaged 400,000 homes. Maybe the figure is not that high and they do not need so much money," Bachtiar said.
The minister said the government had allocated Rp 3 million for the family of each fatality victim and another Rp 1 billion for urgent reconstruction projects.
Humanitarian aid from abroad has been pouring into the island, however.
Australia has provided emergency aid of A$50,000 to help the quake victims, the Australian ambassador to Indonesia, David Ritchie, said.
"Emergency Australian-funded aid reached victims within hours of Friday's powerful earthquake. Australian funds are also providing shelter for another 670 families and we stand ready to offer further assistance if required," Ritchie said in a press statement.
China and Japan also provided humanitarian aid worth US$50,000 and US$100,000 respectively on Wednesday.