Indonesians await aid in tsunami-struck areas

By Mahmut Atanur

CARITA, Indonesia

Indonesians who survived last Saturday’s deadly tsunami which hit the Sunda Strait continue to await relief from the government.

Roughly 110 kilometers (68 miles) west of Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital, Labuan resident Neng Sumiati, 42, spoke to Anadolu Agency about the moments leading up to the tsunami’s impact.

“It was a terrifying moment. My home and the stand where I sell food took damage,” said Sumiati, who is six months pregnant.

After noticing the coming wave at a distance and the screams of onlookers, she scrambled to higher ground, barely making it to safety in time, she recounted.

After losing her livelihood, Sumiati is now living temporarily inside a mosque in Pulosari.

“It was first the local people that lent a helping hand. Thankfully no harm came to anyone in our family,” she said.

Fear to return

The day of the tsunami, Icih Suarsih was in her milk for her baby when she heard cries from people struck by the wave.

“When I went outside I saw that the waves had started to come and I quickly took my baby and fled with my family to the forest on higher ground,” she said.

Fearing a return to her flooded home, the 40-year-old mother is now taking refuge in the Pulosari Mosque with her husband, mother, and three children.

While the power and communication lines continue to function for the most part in the Banten Province, along with facilities including hospitals, government buildings, shops, and fuel stations, officials have warned residents to keep the coastline clear against the possibility of a follow-up wave.

Relief efforts are ongoing for disaster victims.

Indonesia lies within the Pacific Ocean’s "Ring of Fire," where tectonic plates collide and cause frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

At least 430 people were killed and 159 are still missing after a tsunami, triggered by Anak Krakatoa -- a volcano off the Sunda Strait -- smashed into the Sunda Strait coast on Saturday, according to Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency.

Officials estimate that at least 1,455 people were injured while around 16,000 others were displaced in the tsunami, which damaged more than 880 houses.