http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/GB15Ae02.html Feb 15, 2005
Rebuilding homes and hearts in Aceh By Andreas Harsono LAMNO, Indonesia - Muhammad Ali finished a plate of fried noodles, sipped a glass of cold tea and lamented about his misfortune in a coffee shop at the market in small town Lamno, about 200 kilometers south of the Acehnese capital Banda Aceh. "No amount of aid can bring back the lives of any of my children," he said, lighting his cigarette and looking at a relief truck from the aid organization World Vision that was distributing plastic buckets, soap bars, cooking utensils, batteries and other essentials at a refugee camp behind the market. Foreign aid workers, particularly medics, continue to pour into tsunami-ravaged Aceh as the aid operation moves into a second phase, with rescue workers beginning to look at ways of providing long-term support. Initial fears of a post-tsunami disease explosion prompted the huge influx of medical resources, but with no sign of epidemic doctor's caseloads have fallen sharply. "The peak of the emergency operation is behind us," said a United Nations official. "The difficult part starts now." Six weeks on from the disaster, aid workers are focusing on rebuilding and returning people to their former homes. More than 400,000 people were left homeless in Aceh as a result of the December 26 earthquake and tsunami. At least 225,000 others are dead or missing. Pining for loved ones lost Ali used to be a keuchik (village head) in his coastal hamlet of Cot Dulan, near Lamno, before he married Yusmanida, a woman from Ujung Muloh - a fishing village about a 15-minute walk from the market. They married about 15 years ago and Ali moved to Yusmanida's village to become a trader. He bought a piece of land and then started a small business venture. Yusmanida later gave birth to a son and two daughters. Like most Acehnese, Ali and Yusmanida lived with their kin; Yusmanida's parents and grandmother were a permanent part of the family. But Ali's tranquil life changed drastically on December 26, when the killer waves washed away the whole of Ujung Muloh. Only 21 people survived, and Ali was one of them. "It was one of the first villages hit by the waves," said Hendi, a hardware seller in the market. "As the water started rising fast from the first wave, we started running. Then the second wave hit," Ali recalled. "It was huge - as tall as a coconut tree, maybe 20-30 meters high." Ali held on to his youngest daughter, who was only 10 days old. Yusmanida, who had not fully recovered from the delivery, was assisted by her mother. The couple's 13-year-old son Suheri Akhar and 11-year-old daughter Santrina ran together behind their parents. As they ran, the two also held on tight to their great-grandmother. They managed to escape from the first rush of water, but the second huge wave swallowed the whole family. "I was submerged. I swam and appeared on the surface to find out that I was already at sea. It was more than one kilometer from my house," Ali said. "I checked my baby daughter, not sure, whether she was dead or still alive. The water was moving so fast. I had to let her go," he added, tears welling in his eyes. A third wave carried Ali to Alumi, three villages away from Ujung Muloh. "A tree trunk hit my back when I was in the water. I also suffered some bleeding in my left forehead," he said, pointing to a black scar that marks his face. In the water, Ali managed to hang onto a wooden plank that floated toward a coconut tree. When he reached the tree he grabbed it and hung on until the water subsided. When he came down from the coconut tree, he saw corpses everywhere, he said. Still staring blankly at the World Vision truck outside the coffee shop, Ali said he had lost his wife, his children, his mother-in-law, his wife's grandmother, his gold deposit, his money, house and everything else. "Only my father-in-law survived. He was fishing at sea then," Ali revealed. Mustafa Ibrahim, a schoolteacher who helped organize grassroots support among the Lamno villagers, said Ali was a broken man after having lost his immediate family. "But at least he is alive. And I think he has to be thankful for that." Ibrahim and many villagers who live in downtown Lamno helped victims such as Ali - setting up temporary shelters in school buildings and feeding survivors. The tsunami cut off Lamno as well as neighboring Calang from the outside world, when it swept away bridges linking the towns to the main highways. Outside help only arrived in Lamno seven days after the disaster. "If outside help did not arrive, we might have faced starvation as food supplies were almost gone," said Ibrahim. Joel Thaher of the Ratna Sarumpaet Crisis Center, a Jakarta-based non-governmental group that manages the Gle Putoh camp in Lamno, said relief agencies were still relying on helicopters and boats to bring in food and medicine. "The bridges and roads are still badly damaged," he said. Returning to New York after a week-long tour of Aceh a month after the deadly Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, John L McCullough, executive director of the international humanitarian agency Church World Service said: "Survivors in Aceh are beginning to pick up their lives, but their needs continue to be almost overwhelming. "This territory cannot be left idle or left in the lurch to rebuild," he said in a plea to the international community. "Recovery of the dead is still going on - and the international community is very much involved," McCullough said. "But the world community must stay focused and present for what will be long-term recovery in these worst-hit tsunami regions." McCullough echoed a plea from the United Nations on Wednesday for world governments to keep their pledge promises for tsunami recovery. According to the UN, almost two-thirds of the money promised by governments to help the millions of people affected by the tsunami has yet to be received by the world body. So far, only US$360 million have been received - little more than a third of the total $977 million needed for the projected first six months of emergency phase relief work. (Inter Press Service) ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> DonorsChoose. A simple way to provide underprivileged children resources often lacking in public schools. Fund a student project in NYC/NC today! http://us.click.yahoo.com/5F6XtA/.WnJAA/E2hLAA/BRUplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> *************************************************************************** Berdikusi dg Santun & Elegan, dg Semangat Persahabatan. 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