The
small town of Chalang, on the northwest coast of Sumatra, juts
like a peninsula into the Indian Ocean. Surrounded by palm-covered
hills, the town, with its port and fish market, once presented
an idyllic image to the world. The deadly tsunami that swept
over it on the morning of 26 December 2004, however, left not
a single building standing in its wake. Of the 12,000 people
who once lived in Chalang and the surrounding area, only 3,500
are reported to have survived.
Suherman, a 16-year-old Indonesian Red Cross volunteer, is one
of the survivors. Alerted by the earthquake that preceded the
tsunami, he and his parents, brothers and sisters fled to a
village in the hills. Five days later, he made his way back
to what was left of the town, where he encountered the first
rescue workers of the Indonesian Red Cross Society (Palang Merah
Indonesia, or PMI). Although the road no longer existed, they
had managed to work their way in from the provincial capital,
Banda Aceh, 120 kilometres distant. Most of them had been studying
there but were originally from Chalang.
A fledgling member of the recently-founded Red Cross Youth of
Chalang, Suherman threw himself heart and soul into the rescue
and clearance operations. “The first days and weeks, we
collected the bodies and helped the survivors find a place to
put up a temporary shelter of blankets and plastic sheets”,
he calmly explains. He points to the place where his school
once stood: there was nothing left. He knows that at least 15
of his 56 classmates perished. The total number of victims remains
to be finalized, however, as many families left after the disaster.
Suherman is now part of a group of Red Cross Youth volunteers
who share a temporary wooden barrack belonging to the local
PMI with older Red Cross volunteers. Together, they organize
the distribution of relief goods to 15,000 people scattered
throughout 31 villages and in several barracks in and around
Chalang. Hengky G. Alvarez, the International Federation delegate,
shows us the stock of relief supplies, carefully stored in two
large tent warehouses. On the day of our visit, preparations
were under way for a distribution in Deah Baru camp, situated
just outside Chalang, not far from the coast, and home to 256
families living in temporary barracks. Before the tsunami, Deah
Baru had been home to 1,900 people. Only a third survived.
The village chief, 45-year-old Mr Satria, is now in charge of
the camp. He explains why Red Cross aid remains vital: “Before
the disaster, most of the families farmed, fished or had small
businesses. They have lost everything; they have no regular
income and are therefore happy to receive the food, toiletries
and other basic goods distributed by the Red Cross once a month”.
Under money-for-work programmes, the irrigation canals are being
repaired and the rice paddies, flooded by sea water, desalinated.
But it will be several months before the first crop of rice
can be harvested, if all goes well.
Suherman actively helps distribute basic necessities to the
people in the wooden building. Everything has been scrupulously
prepared: the names of the 256 heads of families figure on pre-established
lists; the items distributed – oil, sugar, salt, sheets
and jerry cans – are listed in detail, each beneficiary
signing to confirm receipt.
The Government has decided to rebuild Chalang and to rehabilitate
it as the district seat. Today visitors are struck most by the
tents and prefabricated buildings that house the offices of
numerous international and Indonesian aid agencies, right next
to the former port. The Spanish section of Médecins du
Monde has opened a well-equipped field hospital that includes
a maternity ward. Wooden barracks housing more than 3,000 homeless
people are situated on the outskirts of town. A lively street
market with stands and food stalls fills the road. The Red Cross
will help rebuild homes and community facilities.
Chalang will re-emerge from the devastation, thanks in part
to the devotion and courage of Suherman and other young people
his age.
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| Suherman
and Isvandi, Red Cross Youth of Chalang volonteers. Photo:
International Federation (p13051)
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Sunshine
in Chalang. The Red Cross will help rebuild homes and
community facilities. Photo: International Federation
(p13052)
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| Red
Cross Youth volunteers and rescue workers of the Indonesian
Red Cross Society (Palang Merah Indonesia, or PMI) are
organizing the distribution of relief goods to 15,000
people scattered throughout 31 villages and in several
barracks in and around Chalang. Photo: International Federation
(p13056) |
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