Survivors start life all over, again

Dedy Ardiansyah, The Jakarta Post, Singkil

The only thing 30-year-old Linda could do was after disaster struck again was to start again from scratch.

When the tsunami struck on Dec, 26, she and her husband fled from Meurebo district in Meulaboh, West Aceh as the disaster took her home and eight of her relatives.

They eventually found shelter in her husband's birthplace in Kilangan village in Singkil district, Aceh Singkil regency.

"Our lives were just getting back to normal when another massive earthquake struck and destroyed everything we had built from scratch. We had to move because our house was destroyed," said Linda.

At the time when the 8.7-magnitude earthquake rocked the western coastal areas of Sumatra on March 28, Singkil was also affected greatly, Linda and her family were asleep when the house began to fall apart.

As her children and husband were scurrying out the house, she was still inside because her legs were trapped in a crack, but she finally made it.

Her husband Dasrun said they went to the village two weeks after the tsunami hit Meulaboh, trying to forget the disaster and start their lives all over again.

He was convinced the village was safe since it was spared from the December tsunami.

He paid little attention to the assistance that the tsunami survivors were entitled to. The only important thing on his mind was to ensure the safety of his remaining family members.

As a fisherman, Dasrun eventually got the courage up once again to set out to sea, bringing home at least Rp 20,000 (US$2.20) from his daily catch. Linda had set up a small shop at their house selling groceries. Soon, the family's financial condition had started to improve.

"Now, we have to start life all over again, eating food provided by relief groups. Everything has to start from scratch," said Dasrun.

Their predicament was shared by many Aceh Singkil residents who were affected by the disaster, as well as shattering the hopes of people living on the Banyak island just off the coast of Singkil, which is surrounded by over 90 islets.

More than a week after the earthquake, residents living on the island had not received relief aid.

An islander, Amerul, 32, said the island's residents had to take shelter under plastic sheets and sleep on coconut leaves.

While waiting for the food aid to arrive, they boiled edible roots and ate the remaining rice they could find stored in their houses. Some of them opted to stay on their boats.

After having survived the tsunami, residents living along coastal areas in Aceh Singkil were still traumatized that a disaster of a similar magnitude would recur.

More than 2,000 fishermen in 10 villages in Aceh Singkil remain afraid to go out to sea, but economic hardships have forced some of them to put aside their fears.

According to the Kayu Menang village chief, Hasbi, lots of fishermen had just started to sail out to sea before the March 28 quake, but they still lived in fear of another disaster.

The March earthquake confirmed those anxieties and again paralyzed them with fear.

For the time being, Hasbi and other fishermen were rebuilding their damaged houses.

"We don't want to stay in the shelters and rely on assistance forever. But for now, we don't dare go out to sea," said Hasbi.

No lives had been claimed in the March earthquake in Aceh Singkil, but most houses and buildings were damaged.

Aceh Singkil Regent Makmur Syahputra said recently that the quake damaged about 90 percent of the buildings, while at least 397 houses were totally destroyed, 1,573 considered badly damaged and 2,310 slightly damaged. Over 30,000 displaced people are now staying in emergency shelters.

Makmur said the earth in 10 villages in Singkil regency and nearby islands had sunken by about 60 centimeters, causing hundreds of houses along the coast to be submerged in water.