Volunteers bail out those stranded
Volunteers bail out those stranded
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Sometimes sincerity is just not enough to help others. Volunteers wanting to help flood victims throughout Jakarta have had to face intimidation from thugs taking advantage of catastrophe.
"Many people, such as hoodlums, took advantage of people's misery. Several of them tried to threaten us when we were about to evacuate the flood victims in Teluk Gong, North Jakarta," said Lody Korua of PT Lintas Jeram Nusantara, the operator of Arus Liar white-water rafting at Citarik River in Sukabumi, West Java.
"The locals stopped us. They were afraid we would reduce their earnings as they were also operating boats, made of drums, and charging passengers money. The worse is they had the audacity to seize our food donations by force," he said.
"We've been escorted by the marines for the past three days to avoid further intimidation during evacuations."
Lody came all the way from Sukabumi, a four-hour drive south of Jakarta, last week. Coming with the sincere intention of helping evacuate flood victims, he has deployed 20 rubber dinghies and 30 rowers for evacuations.
However, flood victims can be ungrateful sometimes, rudely insisting on taking control of the dinghy to save their belongings, such as TVs.
Each boat has five crew comprising three volunteers and two marines.
Helping victims has given Lody a deep sense of satisfaction.
"One night, we managed to evacuate 70 people in West Jatinegara, East Jakarta. They were children, women and the elderly trapped in a two-story mosque. They were wet and cold," said Lody, whose rescue team prioritized the poor and the sick.
Unfortunately, due to space constraints, the volunteers sometimes had to leave stranded people behind.
"Once, I had to abandon a mother carrying a child on the second story of a house because we already had 20 evacuees in the dinghy. If I had taken them in, I would have jeopardized the others. We tried to go back, but the current was very strong. We were afraid we would be swept away by the flood," Lody said, adding that each dinghy is supposed to carry only eight.
Currently, the Arus Liar volunteers have a coordination post on Jl. Kalibata, South Jakarta. The volunteers have been on standby 24 hours, ready to evacuate people in isolated areas.
Many donors have helped Arus Liar continue operation.
Other organizations -- including the Indonesian Red Cross, university bodies in Jakarta, outdoor activity clubs, political parties and locals -- have also set up tents along the street. Some students collected donations from motorists at tollgates.
These organizations have also tried to distribute packed meals to flood victims throughout the city as the need for food, medicine and medical workers is broadcast often on several radio and TV stations.