Suffering not over yet for Alor earthquake victims

Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang

The sky was dulled with clouds as Orpa Muakesak sifted through the rubble of what was once her home in the earthquake-rattled village of Tulen on Alor island.

Seven months into her pregnancy, the 29-year-old could only sigh, "they say you should put something away for a rainy day." But there was nothing left, and it was her tears that fell, heavy and wet.

"How am I going to deliver this baby? How am I going to pay the doctors? My husband, Zakaria, is ill. I'm so confused," she said.

Zakaria Maukesak was seriously injured in the quake last week, which measured 6.5 on the Richter scale. They had built their home together, an achievement they had been proud of, and now he was in hospital with spinal injuries.

A village away, Mesakh Langmaui, 75, although physically unscathed, was building himself a makeshift shack from the wreckage of his house.

He had lost his livelihood when the boat he had relied on as a fisherman was swept away in the high tide that accompanied the quake.

Mesakh, whose wife died years ago, said that all he could do now was to shelter in the mountains, together with hundreds of other survivors, for fear of aftershocks.

Orpa and Mesakh are among tens of thousands of people in the regency who have been left homeless and penniless following the serial quakes, which killed 28 people and damaged thousands of houses and buildings.

The latest body recovered by rescue workers, on Friday, was that of Elisabeth Maurang, under the rubble in North Langkuru village.

As if things are not bad enough, outbreaks of communicable diseases and the arriving rainy season are starting to threaten survivors, who are living and sleeping unprotected in open spaces.

Losses are estimated at over Rp 100 billion (US$12.36 million), as thousands of administrative buildings and houses were destroyed as the quakes decimated large areas of the regency.

Alor Regent Ans Takalapeta said the local administration was treating the situation as an emergency, distributing medicine and tarpaulins. Villagers were also being offered counseling and medical treatment.

"The next step would to be build temporary houses for the people to live in for the next year, and temporary buildings for schools and businesses," he told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

For the long term, Ans said the administration would erect buildings that could withstand quakes to minimize losses and casualties in the event of another disaster. Alor is one of many parts of the country that is located on the Pacific Rim of Fire, making it prone to earthquakes.

The central government, which has allocated Rp 1 billion to rebuild damaged property and provide aid to the people, is still calculating whether or not it can grant Ans' request for Rp 100 billion in rehabilitation aid.

Aid has been flooding in from other parties, such as the Japanese, Chinese and Australian governments, with the latest donation from former president Megawati Soekarnoputri, who paid a visit on Friday.

Another resident, Martinus Langkang, said there was every possibility that the Alor people could face a famine, as nobody seemed to care about preparing their rice fields, although the planting season had arrived.

"In a situation like this, really, it's better to hide in the mountains and be safe rather than to carry on farming," said Martinus, who will likely spend many more days living in anxiety, before the good times return.