Aceh ‘back to normal’; Rp 52b in losses

The massive earthquake that struck the northern tip of Sumatra early Wednesday caused Rp 52 billion (US$6.71 million) in damage in Simeulue regency alone, an official said Friday.

No fatalities were reported in the 7.7-magnitude quake, whose epicenter was 75 kilometers southeast of the regency capital Sinabang in Aceh province.

Simeulue Regent Darmili said that day-to-day activities had resumed as normal, just two days after the quake.
He said the losses incurred was based on overall data of the quake’s damage at the regency.

The quake, he said, had damaged homes, government buildings, places of worships and infrastructure such as bridges.

“Many houses suffered minor damage, but an estimated 850 units were badly damaged in the quake,” Darmili told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

He added the areas worst hit were the districts of South Tepah and West Tepah.

“Many of the damaged government buildings are located in Sinabang,” he said.

Darmili said the regency administration was currently drafting a proposal to request financial assistance for reconstruction from the provincial administration and the central government.

He added the regency administration did not have sufficient funds to carry out any kind of repairs on its own.
“We only have a Rp 1 billion backup fund in the regency budget for emergency purposes,” Darmili said.

“That fund was allocated to deal with disasters over the entire year.”

Most residents who fled their homes after Wednesday’s quake have since returned from staying in temporary shelters, he said.

Only three people in the regency were severely injured during the quake, he said, and remain hospitalized.
Another 200 people whose homes were destroyed are currently staying with relatives or friends.

“These people include those whose houses were badly damaged or who are still traumatized by the disaster,” Darmili said.

Across Aceh province, the quake caused severe damage to seven community health centers and 15 supporting health clinics.

The quake also temporarily disrupted the power supply in parts of Aceh and North Sumatra.

Wednesday’s quake was one of the biggest in the region since the December 2004 quake of magnitude 9.2 that triggered the deadly Indian Ocean tsunami, killing some 160,000 people in Aceh.

Another massive quake of magnitude 8.7 also hit Nias Island in North Sumatra in March 2005, claiming almost 1,000 lives.