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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, 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 |
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Aysha and family members. Photo: Petteri Kokkonen, ACT International/FinnChurchAid |
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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. |
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