Survivors cope with loss by giving

Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Losing his loved ones in the tsunami disaster devastated Abdurrahman Ali, but he still wants to lend a helping hand.

The 46-year-old lost his wife and four children on that fateful Sunday, Dec. 26 -- only one of his five children survived.

When the quake-triggered tidal waves rocked the region that day, Abdurrahman, a truck driver, was driving his truck in Banda Aceh. When he felt the tremors, he returned home as quickly as he could to his family in the coastal area of Peukanbada.

In his village, he heard children yelling, "water, water" and seeing the huge waves, he quickly rushed some 50 children into his truck, as well as his wife and five children.

However, after driving about 200 meters, a huge wave rolled over the truck and the people inside it. That was the last time Abdurrahman saw four of his children and his wife.

"I could hear them crying with desperation," recalled Abdurrahman, when sharing his experience with The Jakarta Post by phone from Banda Aceh.

Abdurrahman survived by clinging to the door of his wrecked truck. Even so, he was swept about one kilometer away by the wave.

"I searched for my family for three days and only found my 17- year-old son," Abdurrahman told the Post.

His son is now staying with a family member who lives close to a public health clinic as he was suffering from a respiratory infection after swallowing so much mud and seawater.

"He will be much safer there," he said.

Despite his suffering, he still wants to help other victims.

Now, working as a hired driver for World Vision International (WVI) -- a job that he took up on Dec. 30 -- he is assisting in the delivery of aid to victims, as well as taking staff members to places and people that need their assistance.

"It was very difficult to get a rental car in Banda Aceh at that time. However, with God's help, there are always good people who are willing to help," WVI communications manager Hendro Suwito told the Post from Banda Aceh by phone.

After the disaster, Abdurrahman was sheltered by his former employer who owned a car, and he was asked to drive the car, which was rented to the WVI.

"Working helps me forget my traumatic experience and alleviates my grief, although I can still hear my children's cries in my sleep," he said.