Photo Essay

Indonesia 09/05

From destruction to reconstruction – life continues in Meulaboh

Meulaboh, April 26, 2005

Photos by Petteri Kokkonen, Action by Churches Together (ACT) International/FinnChurchAid

Text by Riitta Saarinen, Action by Churches Together (ACT) International/FinnChurchAid

Four months have passed since the tsunami on December 26, but for those who personally experienced the disaster, it is not easy to forget the day that changed their lives.

The impact of the tsunami can still be seen, and although the cleaning and clearing work has been continuous, debris and ruins can still be seen in many places.

One of the worst hit areas on the west coast of Sumatra was the town of Meulaboh, which lost tens of thousands of its residents in the tsunami. Many of those who escaped with their lives lost their homes, however, and now there are more than 35,000 displaced people living in tents or barracks in Meulaboh.

One family that was forced from their home is Aysha, 38, her husband Baharudin, 40, and their children, who are now living in Ujong Tanjong camp for displaced people.

“We own nothing. Everything we have we had to borrow. However, we were lucky because all of our family survived,” says Aysha.

On that fateful morning, when the tsunami was rolling many kilometers into inland areas from the sea, Aysha was preparing breakfast for her family. Even the earthquake before the tsunami was so severe that it destroyed the furniture and all of the things in their house. People ran out of their houses when the quake happened. Soon after, there were three tsunami waves, and the biggest carried away the damaged houses as well as many people.

“We managed to climb up on the roof of our house, and we were sailing one kilometer away,” says Aysha.

Her two oldest daughters, 12-year-old Nurul Amalia and 7-year-old Zulbaidah, managed to climb onto the roof on their own, but their parents struggled as they took turns keeping their youngest child, 4-year-old Mohamad, above the water.

The survival of the family was a miracle. So many people lost so much. Half of the thousand villagers died, and in the neighboring village the death toll was even higher. All of these traumatic experiences weigh heavily on people's minds.

“Last night I had a nightmare again about the earthquake and the tsunami. I am still so much afraid,” says Aysha.

One of the three water plants in Meulaboh was destroyed completely, while the other two were badly damaged. Therefore, one of the first priorities was to develop a functioning water-supply system for the area.

A water and sanitation project set up by Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) and Church World Service (CWS), both members of Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, started to operate very soon after the tsunami.

The water-purification system was installed in January on the shore of the Meurebo River, just beside the ruins of the old water plant.

This purification unit can produce 20,000 liters of clean water per hour. Water is pumped from the river in hoses to a big water basin, and after being treated with chemicals, it is directed through filters to the water stores. At the moment, the unit is producing water for more than 16,000 people.

“We take samples of the water every day and examine how clear the water is. Clarity – and the quality – of the water varies daily. For example, when it rains, there will be more soil in the water,” NCA water expert Bjørn Monsen explains.

“The clearer and cleaner the water is, the less there is need for chemicals for purification, and we are able to produce more clean water,” he says.

From the water stores of the water-purification unit, the clean water is transferred by hoses into a water bladder on a truck, which then delivers the precious water to camps.

The water will keep villagers alive, since most of it is used for drinking. In some places, it is also used for washing purposes.

Immediately after the tsunami, many people were afraid that there would be outbreaks of epidemics because the conditions were so unclean and there was no clean water available. Fortunately, no serious epidemics have occurred in the area.

Many villages and towns on the west coast of Sumatra, like Meulaboh, depend on fishing. However, many residents of these fishing communities died in the tsunami. Despite their traumatic experiences, most fishermen want to continue the work they know best – fishing.

Following the tsunami, the number of fish sellers at Meulaboh's market fell to one-third of what it used to be. Little by little, the marketplace is recovering and becoming more lively. The new well built by NCA/CWS makes the work of fishermen easier, because now fish can be treated in a more hygienic way.

Masriyah, 40, lives with her daughter Macista, 4, and her sister in a tent in the Paya Paunanga camp for displaced people.

“I was washing dishes that morning behind the house, when I suddenly started to feel dizzy. Only then I realized that it was actually an earthquake. I grabbed my child during the earthquake. I tried to stay calm. People told me that the earthquake had demolished a lot of houses, so I decided to go and see what had happened to my sister who lives in the city center. I took my bicycle and child and started to drive,” says Masriyah.

“When I was at the intersection, people were warning that the water was coming. Then I also saw the wave 500 meters away, as high as a coconut tree. I tried to run away, left my bicycle and noticed then a police car patrolling in the street. They took me and the other people in until the car was full and could hardly move anymore. Then we drove away. It all happened very quickly”.

Masriyah believes that she would have probably died if she had stayed in her village after the earthquake. Half of the inhabitants in her village died in the tsunami.

A widow, Masriyah has lived in Paya Peunanga camp for the past month. The tent was provided to her by UNHCR, and she has hardly any other belongings besides the one mattress, two mosquito nets and kerosene stove, which she received from ACT. Her young daughter has only one toy, a donated teddy bear.

“There are a lot of mosquitoes here, so we put every evening mosquito nets for protection. With the stove we can boil water and prepare food,” Masriyah explains.

The World Food Program has provided food for the people in the camp, and water has been brought to the camp by NCA/CWS.

The work of clearing the rubble will continue for a long time in Meulaboh. Much of the work is done manually.

The human losses of the tsunami are so huge that they are beyond comprehension. Those who survived the tsunami need a lot of support so they can get hold of their life again.

In Meulaboh, gasoline is sold in bottles in the street stalls.

According to recent figures, the tsunami killed almost 170,000 people in Indonesia alone. Not all of the victims have been found. Many survivors, if they escaped with their lives, ended up losing their homes. More than 400,000 people are now living in temporary tents or barracks.

ACT member YAKKUM Emergency Unit (YEU) has mobile medical clinics working in towns and villages in Aceh.

In the village of Padang Panyang in Nagan Raya district, more than 3,000 displaced people are living in barracks. Although the concentration of people in the barracks is very high, there have not been outbreaks of diarrhea or malaria.

“Acute respiratory infections are the most common diseases, and after that come skin diseases. Diarrhea– which is more common in children – comes only as third. Traumatic experiences caused by the tsunami can cause nervousness, insomnia and all kinds of psychosomatic symptoms like heart problems,” tells YEU doctor Lidwina Tarigan, who is visiting the clinic in Padang Panyang village.

This patient, Yahman, 61, has come to clinic because he cannot sleep at night and has lost his appetite. He lost his wife and five of his eight children.

“I have had heart symptoms, so I got many kinds of medicines from the clinic - for example, sedatives and sleeping pills. We have just had the ceremonies of 100 days of the tsunami, and it will bring all my memories back. It is very painful,” says Yahman.

Dr. Tarigan hopes that a trauma counseling center can be established in the village of Padang Panyang so people can be supported and helped in the best possible way.

So much was lost in the tsunami, and reminders of the everyday lives so many people led are scattered about. Here a woman finds a comb in the mud.

People are somehow managing to cope with life after the tsunami, but it will be a long time before many can call life normal. The reconstruction and rebuilding will take many years.

Despite all, life continues. Now it is time to rebuild. We have to look toward the future.