Survivors start life all over, again

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.