A grandmother says God has given her ‘the chance to live’, after the deadly earthquake and tsunami hit her village in Indonesia.
On 28 September the 7.5 magnitude quake struck the island of Sulawesi, bringing down buildings and severing communication networks. In some areas the ground turned to liquid as sea water swept through towns and villages. Eye witnesses described whole buildings sinking into the ground.
Ana, aged 70, from Jono Oge on Sulawesi told staff at one of Tearfund’s partners:
‘I didn’t think I would survive the mud. But God gave me the chance to live and to be with my children and grandchildren. I hope there will never be such a disaster again. I hope we can still have food to survive while we wait for a house to live in, and that life can be normal again.’
Little shelter
The official death toll stands at 2,010 (as at 9 October), with more still missing. Many of those who have survived are now living in makeshift shelters.
Aziz is a 42-year-old father of four. He and his family, including his mother-in-law who was injured in the earthquake, are living under a simple tarpaulin.
‘Life is very difficult, but if we can have food to eat every day, and a better place to live, I think we can still survive.’ he says.
An estimated 200,000 survivors like Ana and Aziz are in urgent need of food, clean water, medical care and shelter.
