Sabang people rise from devastation

Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Sabang, Aceh

A number of tsunami victims in Sabang town, Weh island, Aceh, have begun building makeshift shelters for their families a few days ago, or about two weeks after deadly tsunami struck their village on Dec. 26 last month.

The makeshift shelters are very humble, built from material left after the tsunami.

The shelters are made from wooden poles, logs and tin roofs. The shelters are erected on a higher ground, not far from their former residential houses, as could be found in Pria Laot subdistrict.

The shelter is three to four meters wide. Used tin sheets are used for the roof and walls. The shelter does not have any beds.

Rahayu, a resident in Pria Laot subdistrict, said he preferred to live in the makeshift shelter rather than in a displaced persons camp, for privacy reasons.

It will be much more convenient to live in my own shelter rather than live with other families in a crowded tent, he said.

Sabang city secretary Suradji Junus conceded separately that the city was in dire need of building materials.

Before the tsunami, building materials were dispatched to Sabang from Banda Aceh and Medan, but the supply has stopped since the roads and bridges leading to Sabang have been destroyed by the tsunami. Even sea transportation is not operating since the disaster struck the island. The disaster did not only damage seaports in Sabang but also Malahayati seaport in Banda Aceh, Sabang's closest seaport. Two ferries that used to provide services for locals are unable to operate due to the damaged seaports. "The central government should help us," said Suradji.

He said the city government was planning to build many makeshift shelters for the displaced people by February at the latest.

"Living in a displaced peoples camp is miserable. People can easily contract communicable diseases there," he said.

According to Suradji, Sabang people needed special attention as many had been affected by the deadly tsunami. The tsunami destroyed 692 houses on the island, the westernmost island in the country. It also ruined 10 places of worships, eight school buildings, five bridges and hundreds of government offices. Losses total Rp 86 billion (US$9.5 million).

At least 12 people were killed in the disaster, 34 others missing and six others seriously injured. A total of 3,659 people are currently living in 17 refugee camps throughout the town, a good number of them come from surrounding islands of Aceh and Bunta islands. Sabang has a total population of 26,000 people.

Despite the devastation, Suradji explained that the situation on the island had returned to normal. People have flooded the markets and land transportation is bustling again.

Sabang is back to normal quickly because the city was not badly affected by the tsunami. The areas badly affected were two or three kilometers from Sabang beach.