8 October 2010
Ahmad Husein, IFRC, Indonesia & Lasse Norgaard, IFRC, Bangkok
Torrential rains over the past six days in South East Asia have created severe flooding in the Indonesian province of West Papua and in central Viet Nam. More than 130 people have died, dozens are missing and hundreds have been injured.
It is estimated that more than a million people across five provinces in central Viet Nam have been affected. In Quang Binh, Ha Tinh, Quang Tri, Nghe An and Thua Thien Hue, more than 61,000 houses have been flooded or damaged, and some 14,395 families (57,580 people) have been evacuated to safer places. Accessibility to some areas is becoming more difficult. Further rains are expected in the coming days.
Red Cross staff and volunteers sail relief items to affected areas in Quanh Binh province, central Viet Nam, where more than a million people are affected by floods
The IFRC has provided 155,064 Swiss francs (160,853 US dollars / 115,896 euros) through its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) to support the Red Cross of Viet Nam in delivering immediate assistance to some 50,000 beneficiaries. Assessment teams from Hanoi, including a representative from the IFRC delegation, have been deployed to some of the worst affected areas.
In the Indonesian province of West Papua, heavy rains on 4 October in the Teluk Wondama district unleashed a flash flood and mudslides causing extensive damage in the Wasior and Wondiwoi subdistrict. Flash floods as high as three meters hit the city of Wasior flattening houses and killing and displacing residents.
“It was raining really hard in the evening, but we didn’t realize that the floods would come,” said 51-year-old Utari, a Wasior resident. She heard a thunderous sound and suddenly waves of mud and debris swept down and destroyed her house. The mud dragged Utari and her son, Ujang, for 300 metres. They are lucky to be alive. Utari sustained minor injuries while her son suffered a broken leg.
Indonesian Red Cross Society ambulance team members wait for the boat carrying survivors from the flood affected area, Wasior, to Manokwari sea port, West Papua
Utari and Ujang were amongst the lucky ones. They were evacuated together with 300 other survivors by the Red Cross and local authorities and taken from Wasior to Manokwari, where Ujang can get treatment in the hospital. Here, the Red Cross ambulance team is on standby to bring injured evacuees to local and naval hospitals. The Red Cross is also transporting internally displaced villagers to a designated shelter camp in the city.
“We have deployed five doctors from our medical action team to support the government health office’s team in assisting people in the affected areas,” says La Abidin, Indonesian Red Cross board member of West Papua province from Wasior City.
On 30 September 2009, a devastating earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale struck West Sumatra killing over 1,000 people and damaging close to 250,000 homes. Following the earthquake, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies launched an emergency appeal to help the Indonesian Red Cross Society support the relief and recovery needs of 100,000 individuals.
Students of primary school number 20, Sungai Sirah, Pariaman city, play snakes and ladders with volunteers in a PMI health promotion event. Students learn how to live healthier and identify potential hazards around their neighbourhood.
When the earthquake struck it was immediately clear that much had been learned from the tsunami that devastated so much of neighbouring Aceh province in 2004. The Indonesian Red Cross Society (PMI) was well aware that establishing communications with people on the ground was the most important first step in responding to any disaster. Immediately, a HF and VHF radio communication network was put in place connecting disaster management teams in Jakarta and the Red Cross West Sumatra chapter in Padang.
In the aftermath of the quake, Red Cross volunteers worked closely with national and local authorities to evacuate and rescue trapped victims. At the same time relief convoys were attempting to reach the remote parts of the district, but with so many roads destroyed, many villages remained cut off and the only way to get food and medical teams on the ground was by helicopter. In just a few weeks the Red Cross air operation had delivered an estimated 27 tonnes of relief items to 1,391 families in two of the most affected districts in Pariaman and Padang Pariaman City. Over the next few months the Red Cross was able to reach 70,000 households with food and non-food relief items in five districts.
Community-based action team (SIBAT) members take part in PMI’s 65th anniversary ceremony held by the West Sumatra chapter on 17 September 2010. Community-based volunteers play a significant role in ensuring improved Red Cross responses to future disasters.
“The effectiveness of the Red Cross air operation was highly recognized and appreciated by both the Indonesian government and international organizations,” said Hidayatul Irwan, head of the Indonesia Red Cross Society chapter office who led the emergency operation.
Meeting the health needs of the affected population was another priority. Mobile clinics provided services to 12,300 beneficiaries, mainly in Pariaman district and Padang Pariaman city. The earthquake caused massive disruption to water supplies in the district. In response, the Indonesian Red Cross Society specialist emergency team produced about 1.7 million litres of potable drinking water directly to communities, government and hospitals around Padang City. Hygiene promotion activities for 50 schools and 50 communities were also carried out to improve awareness about good hygiene practices. This approach was complimentary to a community-wide awareness programme on ‘risk reduction’ which was undertaken through radio broadcasts, TV talk shows and a documentary where people learned how to identify and become more aware of the risks and hazards in their communities.
The longest shelter in Sumatra
Every time 16-year old Rini Putri and her friends look at their shelter, they smile. The shelter which functions as an orphanage is uniquely shaped. In fact, it is quite possibly the longest shelter in West Sumatra.
Rini Putri with her friends in front of the unique Miftahul Jannah orphanage building contributed by PMI in Sungai Sarik, Sungai Sarik village, Pesisir Selatan district, West Sumatra. The orphanage was built by merging six regular shelters
“I saw the building collapse,” said Rini, recalling the 7.9 Richter scale earthquake. Two weeks after the earthquake, Rini and her friends were still sleeping outside the remains of the building. They feared sleeping inside as the walls of the building were mostly cracked and warped.
For the past year the Red Cross has supported affected communities through its temporary shelter programme. The orphans now have a safer place to live in and can continue their studies without having to worry. The shelter was built according to their needs, by merging six regular shelters into one big shelter.
Abdul Muthalib, 85 years old, with his wife Aisyah, 75 years old, in front of their new shelter in Koto Rajo, Nagari Sumur, Padang Pariaman district. Abdul modified his shelter to make the living conditions for him and family more comfortable.
Shelter construction has been a critical component of the Red Cross recovery plan. The programme has helped almost 13,000 households to build transitional shelters which use coconut wood as the main construction material. Widely available on the local market, the use of coconut and other local materials has boosted economic development in the affected areas. Beneficiaries have been involved in the shelter programme from start to finish and have been free to adapt the standard design and decorate their shelters to suit their own taste.
“I use the front yard of my shelter as a coffee shop. It gives me more income compared to working in the fields,” said Joni, a villager at Pesisir Selatan district.
Volunteers: the biggest asset
Volunteers proved to be the most important factor in the relief and recovery programme. More than 800 volunteers were mobilized from West Sumatra and neighbouring Red Cross chapters during the emergency phase of the operation, many of whom brought with them critical experience gained from working in Aceh on the previous tsunami operation. Today, 198 volunteers remain in the field, working daily to complete Red Cross recovery programmes.
PMI West Sumatra volunteers collect rubbish on Padang beach as part of a risk reduction awareness event.
Hans Bochove, IFRC head of office in Padang, feels that developing a strong base of highly motivated volunteers is vital towards improving the local Red Cross’ response to future disasters. Part of this approach has been to create community-based volunteer teams called SIBAT. These teams work at the village level to help communities respond to and prepare for potential hazards.
“We’ve trained about 400 volunteers linked to various skills that the Indonesian Red Cross Society needs in the field,” explains Hans. ”Volunteers are undoubtedly the most valuable asset that the Red Cross has.”
Percayakah Anda, hidup itu bak irama musik?
Bagi sebagian orang, hidup itu seperti lagu medley, tak jua bertitik, sampai di ujung cerita. Paling banter koma, atau titik dua; tanda bahwa di depan seabreg rencana dan kegiatan terus menanti. Akan tetapi bagi sebagian lain hidup terasa seperti lagu kanak-kanak. Satu bait plus satu refrain. Selebihnya tinggal diulang-ulang. Membosankan? Belum tentu. Tergantung lirik dan aransemen musiknya.
Untuk mayoritas individu, rasanya hidup ini lebih sering bak irama musik pop. Enteng terdengardi telinga, ringan dijalankan. Tak usah bersusah-susah. Not-nya seperti lagu kanak-kanak tadi, tinggal dipelintir sana-sini. Cuma, kalau mau saksama, kuncinya tak jauh-jauh dari G, C, dan D Mayor, diselipi dengan A Minor atau C Minor. Penyelarasnya ya A#. Yang berusia muda, atau tua bangka kaya raya --maaf mungkin ini simplifikasi-- suka irama hidup model beginian.
Dangdut kaum marjinal
Tetapi cobalah tengok para buruh pabrik, nelayan kecil atau petani penggarap. Hidup mereka bukanlah irama pop, bukan pula hip-hop. Klasik apa lagi. Tak ada dalam kamus mereka dinamika hidup semegah Symphony 40-nya Mozart. Tak secuil pun segempita Overture No. 4 Rejoussance milik Johan Sebastian Bach. Mereka hidup dalam irama dangdut, bersyair kepedihan dan kesengsaraan. Cocok menggambarkan realitas sehari-hari. Diabaikan penguasa, diludahi bangsa sesama, tak diakui dunia.
Cuma, jangan salah, dengan irama inilah mereka justru bertahan. Dalam dangdut, semua kedukaan, kepedihan, diramu menjadi kebahagiaan. Bila mengutip bahasa asing, “No matter how sad the song is, they keep dancing and smiling.” Musik boleh mendayu, lirik boleh saja tentang istri ditinggal suami, namun semua harus dibawakan dengan senyum berikut goyangan aduhai. Penggemarnya setali tiga uang, mata terpejam, kedua tangan digoyang, sambil bergerak maju mundur, merem-melek asyik sendiri.
Hati-hati kalau sudah begini. Tersenggol sedikit, harap maklum akibatnya. Tinju melayang. Itu juga masih mending. Di pedesaan, golok dan kelewang, plus tawuran antarkampung biasa mewarnai kegaduhan dangdut. Semua bermuara ke satu soal. Semua urusan hidup sudah terampas dari orang-orang ini. Maka, ketika ingin menikmati ketiadaan itu saja masih juga diganggu, jangan kaget jika responnya di luar pemahaman Anda-anda yang hidup berkecukupan.
Jazz dan Gayus
Pegawai negeri biasanya menikmati irama ganda. Dangdut ayo, musik Jazz juga cocok. Kenapa Jazz? Tak lain karena golongan ini hidup penuh dengan improvisasi. Gaji boleh dua-tiga juta. Lewat tengah bulan, kantong biasanya sudah melompong. Mau demo, tak berani. Yang dapat dilakukan adalah improvisasi, layaknya musik Jazz. Ada yang ngobyek di luar kantor. Ada yang jual pulsa di lingkungan instansi tempat bekerja.
Yang kebablasan juga banyak. Gayus contohnya. Ibarat Jazz, orang ini sudah memainkan not jauh dari kemampuan Bubbi Chen atau Indra Lesmana. Terlalu kreatif. Hasilnya, ya penjara.
Di kalangan kaum menengah baru, termasuk para eksekutif muda, hidup barangkali lebih enak diasosiasikan dengan musik Rock. Entah itu Rock Klasik, Rock ‘n Roll, atau Rock progressive hingga Rock aliran Metallica dan Sepultura. Persamaannya satu: hidup penuh hentakan dan memicu adrenalin. Bagi kaum ini, mungkin Anda termasuk di dalamnya, hentakan-hentakan kehidupan justru menjadi tujuan pencarian hidup. Tak jarang seseorang pindah dari satu pekerjaan ke pekerjaan lain, karena semata mencari ‘hentakan’ baru, ‘beat’ terkini, yang sudah tak dirasakannya lagi di tempat semula.
Mereka fokus pada hentakan dan kesemrawutan komposisi irama, yang meraung-raung tetapi pada akhirnya terdengar harmonis. Yang suka hidup menghentak-hentak tapi lebih suka homogenitas, barangkali lebih memilih irama musik perkusi. Kombinasinya hanya suara pukulan atau dentingan, tetapi tetap bersemangat. Jadi ingat Safri Duo. Yang tak suka menghentak-hentak, boleh memilih R&B atau hiphop. Lebih jinak sih, sedikit.
Ada banyak penganut irama lainnya dalam kehidupan. Mungkin pula ada dari kita yang hidup dengan langgam gending Jawa. Sedikit gegap gempita namun di bawah Rock. Di saat serupa, kesan tenang juga terasa. Iramanya pentatonik, menghasilkan suara aneh, tapi harmoninya menyelusup ke dalam hati. Jadi, aneh sesungguhnya tak mengapa, asal harmonis.
Hidup dan panjang-pendek bacaannya
Di luar semua itu, saya sendiri merasa hidup ini tak ubahnya seperti orang yang sedang melantunkan ayat suci Al Quran alias qira’at. Ketika membacanya, Anda tak dilarang bersuara parau. Jadi, orang bersuara --maaf-- hancur sekalipun tetap boleh membacanya. Apalagi yang diberi bakat suara indah.
Kita juga tak mesti tampil semarak dengan warna-warni kostum saat melantunkan ayat-ayat. Asal bersih dan sopan, cukuplah.
Sebaliknya, semerdu apapun suara Anda, sekeren apapun kostum yang Anda kenakan, semahal apapun kitab Quran yang Anda beli, semua tidak ada artinya.
Yang dikenal irama Al Quran hanyalah bacaan yang tepat, panjang-pendek makhraj-nya, tajwidnya. Anda tahu di mana harus berhenti, dan paham di mana harus berlalu terus tanpa ragu. Seseorang harus tahu kapan satu huruf didengungkan, kapan disembunyikan, dan kapan justru ditegaskan ketika bertemu huruf tertentu yang lain.
Karena itu, sekali lagi, tak peduli semerdu apapun suara Anda, bila syarat itu tak dipenuhi, maka sadar atau tidak, Anda telah membacanya secara keliru. Anda belum ‘menyanyikan’nya secara benar. Hidup Anda, dengan ibarat qira'at Quran ini, salah jalan, meski Anda menyangkanya sudah benar.
Qira'at Qur'an benar-benar unik. Kerumitannya berpilin rapi dengan kesederhanaannya.
Karena itu, kembali ke pertanyaan awal, seperti apakah irama hidup Anda?
Rock? Klasik? Dangdut, Pop, hiphop, gambang kromong?
Tak penting benar. Sepanjang Anda melakukannya dengan benar, sama seperti ketika Anda sedang membaca Ayat Suci Al Quran: benar lafaz dan makhraj-nya, tepat panjang pendeknya, sesuai tajwidnya, maka cukuplah itu semua untuk menghadapi hidup.
Sesederhana itu?
Ya, sesederhana itu.
Selamat Shaum Ramadhan. Mohon maaf lahir dan batin!
(ahmad husein)
Hundreds of rescuers in the Indonesian province of West Java continue the search for survivors after heavy rains triggered a landslide early on Tuesday morning that engulfed 37 homes. As of midday on Wednesday, 17 bodies had been recovered while over 50 remain missing.
The Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) has sent two ambulance helicopters to the site of the landslide near Ciwidey village, close to the city of Bandung. The air ambulances will work with PMI’s 40 disaster response team members from Bandung who have been deployed to help in evacuating people to a safer area.
Helicopters
“We decided to send helicopters to support the evacuation process because the area is fairly remote and difficult to reach,” says PMI’s Secretary General Budi Atmadi Adiputro. The Red Cross has also sent hygiene kits and blankets for survivors who have taken refuge in temporary shelters.
Because of the heavy flooding and how difficult it is to reach the landslide area, the Red Cross also sent an amphibious truck along with excavating equipment. In collaboration with local health office, the Red Cross has set up a health post. Plans are also in place to open a field kitchen to provide meals for the 500 survivors of the disaster.
Tenjolaya - Ciwidey is a mountainous village in the middle of a tea plantation. While the village is situated barely 35 kilometres southwest of Bandung City, it takes more than two hours for local plantation workers to reach the main road.
The landslide not only buried houses but also destroyed the tea factory, community health centre, mosque, and local security post. The Red Cross has opened a restoring family links desk where PMI volunteers are ready to assist villagers with information about missing relatives.
Worst flood in two decades
Since the end of January, Bandung district has been hit several times by flash floods. Water levels reaching 1 to 3 metres in height have inundated five sub districts, Baleendah and Dayeuhkolot being the two most severely affected areas. Many say this is the worst flood in Bandung for the past two decades.
According to the Government, up to 11,000 people have been affected by the flooding. Almost 5,000 houses have been inundated and over 3,000 people in two sub districts required evacuation to safer places.
The Red Cross has mobilised 12 disaster response teams and 64 community based action team members to help people in the affected areas. Four rubber boats have been deployed to help survivors and two field kitchens have been operating in the two worst affected sub districts providing meals for more than 2,500 people. To help survivors get immediate medical treatment, ambulances with doctors and nurses have been sent to the temporary sites where the displaced people currently live.
22 February 2010 30 year old Adli still remembers the day that changed his life. He was a food seller in Lambaro, in the district Aceh Besar when the tsunami struck the city on December 26th, 2004. Across Aceh more than 165,000 people were killed or remain missing. Adli only survived because his family lived in an area that was slightly elevated above sea-level. He recalls the hundreds of people in Lambaro who camped out in front of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) offices after the disaster.
“Many of them had bad injuries. They came from everywhere, desperate for help for themselves and their families. They were horrific days”.
While Adli gave what he could from his food stall to survivors, a month later his business collapsed. Five years on, the path to recovery hasn’t been easy for him but he now has a good job as a chef at Café Raya, near to the Tsunami Museum in Banda Aceh. Adli feels that his life, like hundred thousands survivors, is now much better, particularly after peace came to Aceh in 2005, ending an insurgency that had held back Aceh’s development for over two decades.
Building back better
For the Red Cross and Red Crescent the tsunami prompted the largest single relief and recovery operation in recent history. Over the course of five years 47 National Societies have stepped in to support the PMI and the IFRC to tackle the massive humanitarian needs in Aceh where almost 180,000 homes had been lost and economic losses exceeded CHF 4.5 billion.
One of the immediate tasks for the PMI volunteers who arrived in Aceh was to retrieve the dead. In those first weeks some 45,000 bodies were collected and buried. At the same time psychosocial support was provided to more than 60,000 survivors.
The paramount need for tsunami survivors was shelter. Getting people out of tents and temporary accomodation into a home of their own was a priority. The IFRC played a lead role in the transitional shelter programme in Aceh, building over 21,000 high quality, aluminium framed wooden shelters. These were gradually replaced by permanent housing settlements and by the end of 2009 Red Cross Red Crescent partners had built almost 22,000 new homes. Many of the shelters can still be seen today as home extensions or shopfronts.
Beyond housing, damage to infrastructure had been widespread and the Red Cross Red Crescent built or refurbished 105 schools along with 191 hospitals and health and community centres. “During the 6 hour drive along the coast from Banda Aceh to Calang, you can clearly see how entire communities have come back to life”, says Bob McKerrow, the IFRC’s head of delegation in Indonesia. “We don’t talk only about the numbers of new houses. These communities have been built in safer areas to a very high standard”.
Improving people’s access to water and good sanitation after the tsunami was also essential. In some towns such as Calang the Red Cross Red Crescent installed water systems to provide for entire urban populations and in rural areas of Nias, hundreds of villages have communal toilets and tapstands together with a greater awareness of good hygiene practises. Over 300,000 people in Indonesia now have access to an improved water source thanks to Red Cross Red Crescent interventions after the tsunami.
Building preparedness to face future disasters
Perhaps one of the most important contributions made by the Red Cross Red Crescent in Aceh has been the engagement with local communities to help them prepare better to face future hazards. Through an integrated community based risk reduction (ICBRR) programme, the PMI is working with 265 communities throughout Aceh to identify the various risks their villages face and help guide them towards developing contingency plans. This includes training community members in first aid skills that would be useful in emergency situations. So far, 35,560 people have been trained in carrying out vulnerability and capacity assessments or community based disaster management.
Emphasis has also been placed on establishing stocks of non-food relief items that can be quickly mobilised in the vent of a disaster. The PMI now has buffer stocks strategically situated in warehouses in their four branches in Aceh and at national level in Jakarta, Surabaya and West Sumatra along with another two logistic warehouses in PMI chapters in Banda Aceh and Padang.
PMI also recognised the need for a fast and effective communications system that can be used during disasters. The PMI has established an HF and VHF radio communication network across all its branches in Aceh and Nias. This network also links the National Society headquarters and its North Sumatra chapter. More than 60 radio operators have been trained. They support the PMI branches in the day to day operation of the radio system.
Measuring success
Measuring the successes of the Red Cross Red Crescent’s recovery efforts goes far beyond physical reconstruction projects. As a national organisation the PMI had a unique understanding of the local operating environment in Aceh which also helped to establish a positive working relationship between the IFRC and the BRR - the government agency responsible for tsunami reconstruction. The IFRC took on many challenges, focusing on areas of Aceh where needs were greatest, which often meant working in remote areas away from the ‘media spotlight’ where other organisations had a limited presence. This applied on the island of Simeleue and Calang, in Aceh Jaya, which was the worst affected town on the west coast where more than 80 per cent of the population perished.
As tsunami programmes in Aceh wrap-up, the process of transitioning out of tsunami programming into support for the PMI’s longer term development plans is well underway. Support for the PMIs community-based risk reduction programmes will continue until 2012 and beyond.
Red Cross staff and volunteers sail relief items to affected areas in Quanh Binh province, central Viet Nam, where more than a million people are affected by floods
Indonesian Red Cross Society ambulance team members wait for the boat carrying survivors from the flood affected area, Wasior, to Manokwari sea port, West Papua
