Quick recovery of Meulaboh

Quick recovery of Meulaboh

Life is returning to normal in the western coast town of
Meulaboh, Aceh, which lost a third of its population and 80
percent of its area to the earthquake and tidal waves of Dec. 26.

Aside from the inherent strength of the Acehnese people, the
town's relatively speedy recovery is a result of the coordinated
relief efforts initiated by the Indonesian Military and the
Singaporean humanitarian assistance task force.

Volunteers -- both Indonesian and foreign -- have worked hand-
in-hand to ensure that the survivors' needs are addressed and the
relief aid stocked at warehouses are secure.

Many survivors are now trying to get back to their homes to
salvage what they can of their belongings, and hope to start
their lives anew. -- Text and photos: Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak

Fruit and vegetable vendors on motorcycles wait for customers in
Simpang Empat market, which has returned to its daily activities
(Photo A).

Singaporean volunteers grouped in Mer-Ci Relief clean up debris
and flotsam at Muhammadiyah School (Photo B). Expecting the
cleanup to finish on Thursday, the school will resume activities
on Monday.

Indonesian soldiers try to remove a boat stranded about eight
kilometers off shore (Photo C).

Nely, 28, a former resident of Kampung Belakang, collects
mosquito coils from abandoned stores, while her younger sisters,
Ratih and Ade, look on (Photo D).

A Singaporean military doctor cleans the wound of a boy whose
foot was pierced while walking through the ruins of his
neighborhood, as his family tried to recover their belongings and
home appliances that they can still use at the displaced persons
camps (Photo E).

Nazamudin and his neighbor, Muslim, try to fix a child's bicycle,
which they salvaged from the rubble of their homes (Photo F).