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Quake survivors set for new lives in new houses
Earthquake survivors are set to be more confident about rebuilding their lives as their homes are reconstructed
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Earthquake survivors are set to be more confident about rebuilding their lives as their homes are
reconstructed.
“I’m glad that I will soon be able to leave this tent,” Artini, 49, from Nagari Kudu Gantiang subdistrict, Padang Pariaman, told The Jakarta Post, over the weekend.
Thanks to aid from the DBS Bank with its NGO partner Habitat for Humanity, Artini’s house is under construction and has been designed to be earthquake-resistant.
Artini, husband M. Syarif and sons Ari Saputra and Rahmat Fauzi will be moving by the end of this week.
Their home was slightly damaged by an earthquake in 2007, but the 2009 jolt completely flattened it.
Since then, the family has been living in a makeshift tent of 2.5 meters by 3 meters made of palm logs and plastic roofing, following a devastating 7.9-magnitude earthquake on Sept. 30, 2009.
“Thank God we all survived from the collapsing house,” Artini said.
The powerful earthquake devastated much of West Sumatra, killing at least 1,117 people.
More than 110,000 units of houses were reportedly heavily damaged.
Mariani, 53, and fellow survior Marnis, 45, can now expect “more comfortable” lives.
“My heart always beats very hard every time I hear rain falling on my hut’s roof. It sounds so loud in my ears that I cannot help but leave the tent during the rain,” Mariani said.
Nagari Kudu Gantiang has been deliberately chosen for the rehabilitation program because it was among the worst-hit regions. More than 90 percent of the buildings in the subdistrict were heavily damaged by the earthquake, including two elementary schools.
Habitat for Humanity Indonesia’s disaster response project coordinator Andreas Hapsoro said his organization aimed to rebuild 2,500 houses for the Padang Pariaman earthquake survivors.
“To build the houses cost between Rp 20 million and Rp 21 million a unit. They are designed to withstand the jolt up to 7.8-magnitude earthquake as required by the national standard,” Andreas said.
Apart from providing Rp 1 billion in fund for the houses, DBS has also been sending its employees as volunteers to help with the construction works.
“This is our way of showing care to the West Sumatra earthquake survivors,” BDS’ official Deffy Lisa Hardjono said.
